Beautiful Lie
by Sasukeluva 4eva
Summary: HE was full of nothing but hate-SHE was full of nothing but despair and sorrow; when two souls of similar circumstances are thrown together to 'help' one another, is that what happens? Or will one's rage be too much for the other broken soul to handle?
1. Prologue: For The Better

a/n: Well yeah, the disease has finally caught up with me; I have SO many ideas that it is becoming quite a hassle in keeping up with them, so I have decided that before I do any more work on my other stories (which I swear to fucking Kami I will get around to A.S.A.P.! ^^), I would at least get

_**this**_** one out of my head first and foremost! =D Hopefully this isn't **_**too**_** bad an issue; believe me, it is **_**a lot **_**harder being the author that needs to keep up with every other little detail of their fics (writers block is a MAJOR problem guys; DEAL WITH IT), also catering to meet the readers' standards/expectations.**

** On a more serious note, I AM actually sick, so please realise that I am half deluded with fever right now, even as I write this, and so all sucky bits of writing can be solely blamed on that; besides, it WILL and or SHOULD get better once I get into it, so yeah, I'll shut up now! Please give it a go! Enjoy, and arigato gozaimasu! Disclaimer; this shall apply to all future chapters- *AHEM*- "Naruto is the official property of one Masashi Kishimoto-sensei: all rights reserved –coughcoughcopyrightcough- go to him and him alone. This is just a fanfic based on the characters of his ingenious creation, one of which happens to actually solely belong to me; if you can guess which –- one!! XP" That is all.**

**NOTE: This story was inspired by a song that I personally ADORE (all my love goes to a good friend of mine who got me hooked –coughaddictedcough- to it!), called 'Beautiful Lie' by '30 Seconds To Mars.' I SERIOUSLY LOVE THIS SONG MAN! XD**

**Summary: **_**HE was full of nothing but hate—SHE was full of nothing but despair and sorrow; when two souls of similar circumstances are thrown together to "help" one another, is that what will really occur? Or will one's rage be too much for the other broken soul to handle?**__**DARK**_** in some scenes, or best attempt made, **_**ANGST**_**, **_**ROMANCE**_**.**

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_**Sasuke x Sakura Lemon Fanfic**_

_**~Beautiful Lie~**_

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**Prologue**

**For The Better**

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"Tsunade-sama! You can't be serious! If you assign _her_ to _this_ task...! I-It could very well _destroy_ her in the process! Too many unforgiving memories will be stirred up; it could result in more than losing whatever's left of her sanity! Onegai, reconsider! Do you really want her to—"

"_Enough_. Shizune, I am well aware of the consequences for this action, but it is the most suitable arrangement; _she_ is the _only one_ who can relate to _his_ situation. _She_ is the only one who can fully comprehend, understand and accept _his_ past inflictions; what _he_ was subjected to was truly inhumane, _cruel_, and it just serves as another reason for _him_ to hate people even more. _She_ is the _only_ one who can melt that icy heart of _his_, and help _him_ move forward with _his_ life; that is just the way it is. It will also help _her_; after all, _her_ situation is drastically similar to _his_."

The room was silent, the light pattering of the rain increasing in momentum until it was pouring, thunder crackling in the background as Shizune looked at her former shishou with solemn, sad eyes, reflecting all the pain that she had had to endure when _that_ happened; it was horrifying to think that _she_ of all people would allow something as tragically awful as _this_ to have happened, but it _did_, and that was what coloured everyone's emotions lately. Tsunade's chair creaked as the blonde Godaime stood, pacing the expanse of her office before settling with standing before the large glass window, gazing out at her home, her village; her hands remained clasped behind her back as she allowed her honey-brown eyes to rest upon the hospital, where _he_ lay in bed, recovering from his past trauma.

It was strange to think that _he_ was back under such uncomfortable conditions, having slaughtered his older brother and literally tearing Orochimaru into pieces, without any remorse whatsoever, impaling their heads on pikes as a warning; a warning that he would destroy anything and everything that got in his way, interfered with his plan. Whatever that was. Tsunade couldn't contain the amused smile as she thought back to the last time she had ever interacted with an Uchiha; he'd acted just like _him_ whenever it came to socialising, be it outside of the clan or otherwise, and refused outright to follow another's orders. Stubborn, prideful dumbasse—

"TSUNADE-SAMA!" Shizune's panicked voice interrupted said woman's train of thought, pulling her back into reality quickly enough to have an annoyed glare plastered to her face, the blonde spinning on her heel before yelling "NANI?!"

Shizune flinched at the brute force and malicious anger that had been poured into the single word, but when she remembered what had caused _her_ to yell and ultimately piss off Tsunade, she instantly forgot her fear, if only temporarily. "Sakura-san! She...!"

This grabbed Tsunade's attention, the name of her apprentice all that needed to be said to keep her undivided focus; she really _did_ adore the rosette, that she did. "Sore wa nan desu ka, Shizune?" The dark haired woman was now bouncing from one foot to the other, pointing to the area outside of the window; furrowing her brow, Tsunade turned only to see the topic of discussion walking toward the hospital, still unaware of _his_ presence in the village.

"_Kuso_! Shizune!"

"HAI?!"

"STOP HER FROM GOING IN TO DO HER ROUNDS! SHE NEEDS TO BE INFORMED OF THIS OCCURRENCE BEFORE SHE EVEN _THINKS_ OF GOING IN _THERE_!" "_Mochiron_!" Shizune exclaimed hastily, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke; Tsunade slammed her fist into the face of her wall-clock, inevitably smashing the time-keeper into a million unrepairable shards, crumbling to the floor with a noticeable_ 'TINK, TINK, TINK!'_

'_Fuck! How am I going to break this to her without any negative responses?! She'll surely take the news badly, seeing as __**this**__ wasn't ever surmised to happen, let alone actually occur! Nande...? NANDE?!'_

A sharp knock on the door was what indicated the presence of the one in which she was expecting, and as Tsunade stopped chewing ruthlessly on her nails, she felt the feeling in her gut coil all the more as she snapped out a harsh "ENTER!", the mahogany door slowly swinging open till the person on the other side was visible; her pink locks were soaked with the heavy rainfall, her clothing clinging to her every voluptuous curve, curves that any woman would kill to have and what any man would murder to protect and ravage. The rosette was trembling from the cold, exposure to the air-conditioning making those shivers more evident; most noticeable was the look of adverse curiosity, though no matter how mild it may have seemed, it was still there, in her eyes, along with trepidation, the need to avoid whatever was to come.

And she had every right to be nervous. After all, what Tsunade had to tell her would ultimately weigh whether or not Sakura was truly ready for such a mission, whether or not she was strong enough to handle and accept the accompanying consequences to her impending decision; whether or not her emotions would get the better of her.

The determined look that shone in her glowing emerald orbs was reassuring, calming the blonde quite some, before she slowly gestured toward the comfortable couch that had recently been included amongst the furnishings, a solemn, blank expression giving away nothing of what she actually felt, the constant chaos and turmoil that ebbed to the surface more and more each day hidden well in contrast to what her apprentice was capable of; Tsunade knew all too well about how emotional Sakura got over things, no matter how insignificant they seemed to be, and had this gut-wrenching feeling that this was a blow that was both unjust and definitely not something that she needed after what she had been forced to endure barely a year before.

But it had to be done; it was for the better, no matter how devastating it may have seemed.

"Sakura, take a seat; this may take a while."

And with that, the oak door swung to a powerful close, the lock automatically sealing the pinkette's fate as she was told of her mission, and what was to become her inevitable fate.

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**a/n: Heh, prologue's done; onto chapter one! When I...have time... maybe...? o_O *Eh-heh-heh-heh-HEM***

**, what'd ya think? I'd really like to know whether or not I should continue on this fic -of course at a later time-, but if you guys don't like it, then I completely understand! ^^**

**Though I really would like to get this idea out onto paper... =_=|||**

**So, please review and lemme know whatcha think; after all, they DO inspire me to keep on writing!! =D And just a reminder for all those who read my fic 'Fourth time's the Charm'; there are only two chappies left, the next one (4) being the last OFFICIAL one, so please hang around for that, and keep this fact in mind!**

**Alright, you know what to do guys! XD**

**Ja ne!**

**(*-*-*TBC*-*-*... maybe..?)**

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***


	2. Suffocating Reunion

**a/n: Well, here we are again! It seems that there were several people that wanted me to continue on this fic, and by asking nicely –****** -, I have decided to be relatively mellow and post another chappie; yeah, I had already planned out the rest (not. I have NO IDEA where this story is going to go yet!), so all I really needed was your support, and voila! The next chapter has arrived! Hope it fills in some blanks; I'm sure most of you have already figured out what Sasuke and Sakura have in 'common' in this story, but if not, s'okay; you'll find out soon enough! ^^ So without further adieu, I present to you chapter one of _**'Beautiful Lie.' **_**Enjoy, and arigato gozaimasu ne! XD**

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Chapter 1

Suffocating Reunion

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Sakura swallowed heavily, sweat forming on her upper brow as she listened to her hectic heartbeat, which was currently pounding in her chest and reverberating in her ears; the rosette stood alone (excluding the very obvious ANBU guards that stood parallel to one another on either side of the steel door) in front of the heavily armoured hospital room door, hand shaking as she raised the slim appendage to where the door knob was, pressing her index finger to the chakra seal above the lock mechanism; running her chakra through the paper, Sakura allowed herself to drift back to what her shishou had said the night before.

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_Flashback_

"_Sakura..." The rosette stiffened, knowing __**that**__ tone all too well; it was only ever used when something was seriously wrong. "H-Hai...? Sh-Shishou...? Nani—?"_

"_Sakura... this... isn't... __**easy**__... to say... it will... undoubtedly shock you... but it is for the best that you know... seeing as it will be __**your**__ next __**mission**__... __**of sorts**__..." The blonde let her honey-brown eyes trail up to meet the gaze of her student's, whose were anxious and uncomfortable; Sakura had a __**really bad**__ feeling about this..._

"_Shi...shou...?"_

_Tsunade sighed, letting the shadows obscure her face as she contemplated how she would tell her apprentice about __**his**__ presence in not only the village, but in the very place that she worked; biting the inside of her cheek, the blonde decided to just come straight out with it and pray for a miracle._

"_Sakura.... your next mission is... to aid in the recovery of one __**Uchiha Sasuke**__, whom will be your charge until he has fully recovered. And yes; __**he's back**__." Her silent screams were sure to have been heard for miles had they been vocalised._

_End of Flashback_

_

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_

Swallowing once more, the pinkette slowly let the latch snap open, a silent _'click!'_ being the only other sound heard if you excluded her shaky steps into the bedroom, heels clacking cautiously on the tiled floor; Sakura visibly tensed as she stared at the figure that had been strapped down to the bed before her. Same ivory skin, smooth by the look and feel, same long black lashes, dark in contrast to his naturally pale complexion, same bluish-black, spiked up hair; he was still the most gorgeous creature she had ever laid eyes upon, even though he was covered in gauze wraps, bandages covering almost every inch of his body.

Sakura vaguely heard the steel door slam to a silent close behind her, the only thing to give it away being the slight groan of resistance it gave off at the last minute; she was too enwrapped in the sight of her former teammate and love to really notice anything else. He was unconscious, that much was clear, but it all had her wondering idly how he managed to end up so damaged in the first place; that, and allowing himself to get caught so easily. Well, not quite; Tsunade had mentioned something hazy whilst Sakura was lost in her own thoughts, saying something along the lines of _'He put up a very difficult fight, severely injuring some of my men in the process...'_

But again, the rosette wasn't positive about what had been said and done after she had been told of Sasuke's presence in the village; the village that not too long ago, he had threatened to destroy, and almost very nearly _did_. The rosette let out a shaky sigh, before slowly sauntering forward until she was standing off to his side, the heart monitor beeping at a regulated pace; he was hooked up to several different machines, one to help him breathe, the other to keep track of his brain's activities.

All in all, although he was stable, he was still in critical condition, in a temporary 'coma' for the time being, for which Sakura was eternally grateful; she wouldn't know how to react when he woke up, particularly if he had been when she'd walked into the room in the first place.

Heh, he probably wouldn't have even let her come in, seeing as a former (emphasis on the _former_) teammate was definitely _not_ welcome in his life anymore; not since he had defected therefore ultimately betraying his village for the intense compulsive desire to gain more power, anyways. A twinge of pain wriggled to the surface, stabbing through her heart like a blade through flesh and causing her breathing to become laboured, ragged; stumbling to the corner of the room, Sakura allowed herself to slide to the ground, gripping her chest painfully as she felt the acidic sprites burning behind her lids. No, she was not going to cry, she couldn't allow herself to; she had a patient to be tending to, and his health, mentally, emotionally and physically, needed to be the top priority, not hers.

Gathering her wits, Sakura carefully pushed herself into a crouching position, before getting to her feet and forcing her body to move toward the sleeping Uchiha relic; the last of a famous bloodline. Gently, almost hesitantly, the rosette reached out, flinching back when she thought she saw him stirring, before she managed to place her hand to his forehead, checking his temperature for any signs of fever or infection; there was none, so the pinkette continued her exploration, trailing her fingertips lightly over his cheeks as she went, applying pressure to her touch as she prodded at his very muscular, toned stomach, where his internal organs were, making sure that there were no problems with his liver, his kidneys, his heart.

Again, he seemed to be in perfect health, aside from the obvious inflictions on the outside of his body, and excluding his unconscious state, so Sakura went back to mending his broken bones. _'Kami... six broken ribs, a severed Achilles tendon, a broken collarbone, ruptured breastbone... then there's __**that**__... Sasuke-kun... how could you have let __**this**__ happen to you?'_ Sakura thought sadly, a pang of familiarity sending waves of nausea and bile up the rosette's throat; she forced it down, knowing that throwing up was not going to help matters.

What was done was done, shattered fragments of the past that could never be changed, manipulated to meet one's expectations; that was the cruel and harsh reality of life, of _living_, and nothing could ever change that. _Nothing_. Sakura pushed her chakra into Sasuke's limp body, excelling the healing process and bringing the pinkette to her limits; she collapsed to the ground, the strain leaving her exhausted, but strangely content. The damage was almost completely healed. _Almost_ all of it, anyways. _That_ particular... _injury_... was something that could be fixed externally, yes, but mentally and emotionally? _That_ was what worried Sakura the most; would he be able to handle the fatigue and the memories that _that_ act had stirred up? Only time would tell; but even that would not be enough, surely.

No one ever _completely_ got over something as awful as _that_, particularly at the horrendous state that it was unsheathed unto the comatose Uchiha; his case was the most tragic and mortifying that had ever been dropped into Sakura's capable hands, and she knew that it definitely would not be easy to succeed in this task. After all, victims of this magnitude always seemed to be the most self-destructive, and be it as it may, Sasuke was already bad enough in _that_ department as it was, but to have to deal with _it_, face the _humiliation_ of knowing that someone that was once possibly considered 'precious' to you knew of this... _predicament_?

Sasuke was too proud a person to accept help from anyone, let alone _her_, and now that he had been subjected to _that_... well, let's just say that it wouldn't end very well, dattebayo. She hoped with a profound clarity that her emotions wouldn't get in the way of this task, after all, a shinobi on a mission has no other choice; it was just how it was. Sighing, Sakura dragged herself to her feet, plopping down into the comfy armchair across from the sleeping Uchiha monarch, before letting her eyelids droop to a close, the eternal darkness consuming the rosette as she let sleep wash over her.

* * *

Sakura awoke with a start, the nightmare too much for her to handle; she had already been through it once... when would she finally be able to sleep without ever having to relive it all over again? After taking a moment to collect herself and her breathing, Sakura slid toward the edge of the love seat, stretching her muscles only to be graced with the sound of her bones cracking; letting out a tired sigh, the rosette proceeded to stand, only to stop mid-action as she noticed a pair of... crimson?... eyes... _watching_ her. Sakura went rigid as she realised why this was the case. Her breathing hitched as she allowed herself to slump back into the chair, eyes still connected with his.

_'H-How can he be—?'_

"_Sakura_." Sasuke spat angrily, the tomoes of his sharingan spinning rapidly as his expression turned to one that seemed martyred, yet extremely pissed at the same time; Sakura tensed at his tone, but felt her eyes narrow. No one had the right to speak to her like that, even if this _was_ Sasuke she was dealing with.

"It's good to see you again, _Sasuke_. Glad to finally have you back. What took you so long? Too busy admiring your own reflection, or power perhaps?"

Sasuke's temper only grew darker as he took in the downright bitchy attitude Sakura had adopted toward him; had they still been younger, then things wouldn't have been so hostile. Then again, Sasuke would always be hostile, and thus there was an exception for the rosette as well; after the stunt he had pulled seven years ago, he wasn't really surprised by her new personality toward him. His eyebrow twitched yet rose at the same time, his malicious smirk almost making Sakura want to fall over, even though she was sitting down already. "Well, well, it seems little Sakura has grown up over the time I haven't seen you."

"Fuck you, Uchiha!" Sakura retorted angrily, her fists clenched at her sides as she sprung to her feet, realising that said man was free of his confines, sitting as he had after Tsunade-shishou had awoken him from his self-induced coma all those years ago (Sakura ignored the feeling of déjà vu that washed over her); they had been done up so tightly, the pinkette recalled. So then how—?

"I _am_ a ninja, Sakura. Any amateur would know how to escape from a few ropes, with the aid of an escape jutsu; I figured somebody of your intellect would have already known that." Sasuke mused darkly, his handsome features obscured by the shadows, making him appear more frightening than anything else; Sakura felt a stab of pain tear through her heart, the fight that had broken out only seconds beforehand already having an adverse impact on her turbulent emotions. She truly hated this, more than anything else; the rosette had even been presumptuous enough to assume that there was a possibility, slim as it was, that he wouldn't ostracise her as harshly as he was, that he might be a little less cold and cruel to her as he was. And all of her hopes had just been shot to hell.

Sighing, the pinkette raised her right hand to her face where she rubbed her sore, tired eyes, ruffling her bubblegum pink hair before she raised her dull emerald orbs to meet his obsidian ones'; he had allowed his sharingan to revert to its' transient state, assuming that she was not a worthy opponent to be considered a threat. That made her fume on the inside, but she soon forgot her anger as she slowly approached him, intent on checking his physical condition; of course, being the stubborn Uchiha ass that he was, he just _had_ to make her life _that_ much more difficult then it needed to be.

Without any warning, just as Sakura reached the edge of his bed and went to touch him, he caught her wrist, the rosette ignoring the jolt of electricity it sent up her spine as he then grabbed a firm hold on said arm with his free hand, sliding it up to the base of her shoulder, before hauling her up and over his back, Sakura landing with a solid _'thump!'_ on the soft mattress; the pinkette let out a harsh grunt as she collided with the surface, only to groan in pain as Sasuke then proceeded in flipping her around so that her back was to him, arms in a vice-like grip not easily broken behind her back, her chest thrust forward due to the foot that had somehow mysteriously implanted itself in the centre of her spine.

All in all, an extremely uncomfortable position to be in for the enraged rosette, who screeched angry curses at the now smirking Uchiha (even though it was his trademark expression, something still seemed to be _off_ about it...), whom seemed relatively pleased with both himself and the reaction his sudden movement had brought out from the clearly disgruntled pinkette. "Fucking DAMMIT, Sasuke! Let me go, you fucking bastard! NOW!"

"Tch. _Language_; didn't your mother teach you _any_ manners? Of course she _should_ have, after all, you are actually lucky enough to still _have_ a family. What a waste it would be if you were to have withered away without at least any polite formalities, wouldn't you agree?" Sasuke replied darkly, amusement laced with bitter resentment all that could be identified as Sakura suddenly felt her heart clench tautly, the reminder of what she took for granted and what he no longer had bringing out the more vulnerable, caring side; relaxing her muscles, Sakura simply waited for him to calm down and release her, which could have been hours later, but the rosette knew better. She understood the way Sasuke's mind worked (...most of the time...), so it wasn't too unperceivable that he would eventually bore of his 'activity', and would literally 'let it go.'

Usually falling to the ground dead.

Which wouldn't be a good look for Sakura, no siree...

And she was right; Sasuke tensed, then grunted, before simply letting her arms fall limp from his hold, numb from his forceful grasp, pacing the expanse of the room, making sure to maintain his distance from the now recovering pinkette, whom was oh so tempted to just curl up in a ball, inhale his strong, masculine scent, and let her dreams swallow her reality whole. Unfortunately for her, though, reality was a truly cruel and torturous thing. Sasuke carefully analysed his settings, evaluating his current situation; there were no windows in this room, just white-washed walls that stung his eyes if he stared too long at one place, and only one door, which was seemingly made of a special steel, enabling chakra to be poured through it to lock the door in place, immovable until someone of great authority or experience came along and forcefully took it down.

And it also looked as if somebody had placed chakra seals on the door, as an extra precaution; they must have been _seriously_ concerned that the Uchiha would escape and go on a psychotic rampage for revenge on being sealed in a room with one of the only people he never wished to see again. Which was true, mostly. The frustration he felt was nothing of that compared to the hatred that was coursing through his veins, screaming for him to kill the pink haired woman across from him and hope that the commotion would at least buy him an opportunity to escape; it was tempting... turning so that he had her within eyes-width, Sasuke couldn't help but notice how much she had changed over the course of the past seven years, physically amongst other notable things.

She had curves in all the right places, which slightly unnerved the remaining Uchiha prodigy; _she_ of all people _shouldn't_ have turned out like _that_, after all, he had had more experience with— A stabbing pain tore through Sasuke's entire system, bringing the man to his knees as he clutched his head in a futile attempt to ease the throbbing ache that burned behind his eyes; Sakura was off of the bed in an instant, alarm getting the better of her as she attempted to help him to his feet.

Had she missed something during her examination? No, that wasn't possible... but then why—? The rosette was torn away from her thoughts as a strong hand connected with hers, the shockwave of pain it brought not registering as the pinkette moved forward again, only this time with more determination, as well as her fiery temper, inherited from her blonde-haired sake-addicted shishou; Sakura had had just about enough of this.

"Dammit, Sasuke, stay still! I need to examine you to— "

"Get the fuck away from me! If you even lay a _finger_ on me, I swear to fucking KAMI I'll _kill_ you, tear you limb from limb, and feed your remains to the buzzards! SO BACK THE FUCK OFF YOU BITCH!" Sasuke spat viciously, his eyes bleeding red as he glared lethally at the rosette; the saying 'If looks could kill' instantly sprung to mind... Black flames suddenly burst to life, engulfing one side of the room in its obsidian embrace, charring the fluorescent white walls a deep, charcoal black; without much thought, Sakura skidded to where the door stood complacently still, just begging to be opened.

There was definitely no hesitation needed there, that was for sure; placing her palm haphazardly to the startlingly cool metal in contrast to the searing heat produced by the impossibly dark flames, Sakura ran her chakra through it, before opening the door a crack and sliding out, slamming it to an abrupt close just as the fire connected with the steel, fighting for dominance.

The rosette's luck eventually paid out, as the flames soon subsided into nothingness, the crackling of the fire's embers dispersing into the eerily suspense-thickened air; Sakura couldn't help but allow herself to slide to the ground, head propped against the once again cool steel, as tears she didn't think she had spilt from the rims of her emerald eyes, cascading to meet their maker the instant they collided with the linoleum flooring.

Sasuke's last words echoed in her head, the psychotic temperament made obvious as she questioned her own sanity, the harsh ruthlessness of it leaving the rosette biting back sobs. _'Stay the fuck away from me!'_

The ANBU members knelt down to help the distraught pinkette to her feet, only to have said woman swat their hands away; she refused outright to accept any aid from others, no matter how trying the situation may be.

No.... this was her mission... and she would fulfil it to the best of her ability... no matter what the consequences.

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**a/n: Yeah, well, _before _you kill me and point out the obvious, YES, this chapter IS shorter than my usual works, but I figured that this was a good point to stop, giving you a bit of a cliffie I suppose... I know, I must SUCK to you guys right now, ne? (Not that this work deserves praise or anything.... it isn't THAT good... =_=|||) That, and I'm WAY too busy, so be expecting later updates in future! Please stick with me! Reviews will be much appreciated, and updates may just come a little earlier! =D**

**Ja ne!**

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***


	3. Respite

**a/n: Chapter two! A little odd, but ya know; ya get used to it eventually I suppose... still a little daunting, imposing, but I'm doing my best guys! Please keep this in mind! *Eh-heh-heh-heh-HEM* ... So hopefully this chappie should be more informative, but I want to keep that mysterious, subtle air, so don't be surprised if not a lot is revealed just yet; after all, we are only in the beginnings of this fic! ^^ Hereon commences the second chapter; enjoy, and arigato gozaimasu! XD**

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Chapter 2

Respite

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Sakura slammed her fist into the man's face, and although he was made of pure muscle, he was still thrown into the wall opposite; well, more accurately, _through_ it. She was pissed; _really_ pissed. How dare he go and proclaim that women were quote 'Useless good for nothings except for homemaking and a good fuck', before turning and flirting with her?! If you asked the rosette, the prick got everything he deserved; no, in fact, he didn't even get the full brunt of her anger. Lucky bastard—

"What is going on here?!" The loud bellow of the drunk Godaime echoed through the hallways, causing all within the vicinity to freeze on the spot, all hoping that her pointed wrath wasn't aimed at them; thankfully, it wasn't. Of course, this case of relief wasn't shared by all; a certain pinkette to be frank. She paled significantly, knowing that the end result of this couldn't be good, but was prepared for the onslaught of slurred, drunken words that were to be imminently screeched at her until it was drilled into her head; not that that would be too hard.

"Well?!" Tsunade mumbled out in an angry shout, which was quiet yet still loud enough to carry; Sakura swallowed, before stepping forward to face her shishou's rage.

"Sh-Shishou... I, uh..." The blonde turned to face her apprentice, with a startlingly stoic expression on her face, a light pink painting her cheeks, and a glazed look in her honey brown eyes; yes, she was definitely inebriated alright. "Nani? Sakura?"

"I... sorta kinda..._ punchedthatguythroughthewallcauseheinsultedthefemalespecies_!" Sakura muttered out incoherently, Tsunade's sharp voice cutting through the air like a knife, demanding the rosette to repeat herself, only this time audibly. "Nani?! Sore wa nan desu ka, Sakura? I have more pressing matters to be dealing with right now—"

"Uh... that's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually, shishou..." Sakura muttered abashedly, raising an accusing finger and fixedly pointed at the now very unconscious man across from them, lying in the rubble of the former wall; the blonde eyed the debris and mess in contempt, glaring with such an intensity that it had all who bore witness it cowering in fear (except for Sakura; she had grown used to it over the years), thinking in her inebriated state that if she stared long enough, it would simply... _disappear_; after all, if it didn't go away, _right now_, then that meant that Tsunade had more work to do.

Definitely _not_ a good thing.

"I-Is this a-about _that_ mess... *hic* o-over there *hic*? 'Cause if it is—"

"Shishou, I think it would be wise if we took this... _discussion_... elsewhere." Sakura interjected anxiously, not liking the sudden wave of attention she was receiving, the stares and whispers bringing a frazzled vein to her forehead, protruding so it was clearly visible.

"Let's _go_, m'lady." The rosette gritted out through clenched teeth, grabbing her intoxicated sensei by the arm and dragging her to the blonde Godaime's office; slamming the door (after tripping and stumbling _up_ the stairs), the pinkette turned to face her now very _pissed off_ shishou.

_'Oh fucking Kami-sama, here we go...'_ Sakura internally wailed as her alarms went off, screaming _danger_ as the main message; this would _not_ be good...

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! *HIC!* Ah-hm... hm... hn." Sakura was, well, _confused_. She had just explained the situation to its entirety, making sure to make her defence solid and believable and her mentor... _laughs_....? What the fuck for?! This was _serious_, and yet the honey eyed Hokage had the gumption to laugh it off, as if it were... _nothing_? "Tsunade-sama, nani—?"

"Hah! That was certainly... _entertaining_. I didn't think that anyone could rile you up so much, particularly a patient in this hospital; I never thought I'd live to see the day where Haruno Sakura would punch a brawny, brainless bastard like that through her workplace's wall!"

The blonde mused, still recovering from her recent fit of laughter; it really was a surprise, to say the least. The rosette usually had more composure and control, but then again, everybody had those days where they just needed to hit something; especially seeing as Sakura had a mission unlike any other. Sure, she had done the odd seduction mission, but that hardly counted for anything when it was stacked up against the likes of one Uchiha Sasuke; yes, nothing could ever really compare to that of the sole survivor of the Uchiha Clan massacre, whom was becoming increasingly restless with each day that passed where he was cooped up in an environment both unbecoming of one of his lineage, and also for someone who had never really liked to be rendered immobile.

He always needed to keep himself in motion, or otherwise it would be as if he was slowly withering away with no ulterior motives or activities to spur on his existence any longer; he would simply... _perish_, disappearing from the face of the earth without a trace, lost to all whom had considered him a loved one. Someone like Sakura. Tsunade rubbed her temples, finally feeling the numbing effects of the alcohol leaving her system, ultimately sobering her up to leave the blonde sombre and without resolution; that, and also bringing with it an awful, splitting hangover that could possibly kill three elephants with the amount of stabbing pain it sent into her brain, and her body's nervous system.

With a pained groan, Tsunade leaned back into her chair, relaxing as she contemplated on asking Sakura how everything was going with said man of her thoughts constant debate, but before she could even open her mouth, the rosette cut in, giving her weekly report.

"Uchiha Sasuke is recovering gradually, faster than any other shinobi would normally, but still not quite out of the woods yet; his major problems right now, physically speaking, is his Achilles tendon and breastbone, both of which seem to refuse the treatment I give to them. The threads and muscle tissue in his ankle seem to be deteriorating, even as I apply proper healing technique to it, and are eventually going to fray at the seams and finally break apart; I assume this is the case due to other minute internal damage that has been done to his cells, somehow managing to delay their split-division and therefore annihilating any chances of that particular part of his body to heal. Then there is his breastbone, which has managed to contract a rather nasty bought of pneumonia, seeping into his bones and bloodstream and spreading the sickness further throughout his nervous system, leaving him seriously ill and on the verge of death if not given the appropriate treatment for his symptoms. And to top it off, his unwillingness to be properly treated has become quite the hindrance, as he seems determined to undermine my ability and question my knowledge in the field, to which I have to say I—"

"Sakura, I know that this is difficult, _trying_, but it is an obstacle that you will eventually overcome; Uchiha men are all the same in the end, after all. Stubborn, arrogant, self-absorbed pricks that need to yank out that fifty foot pole from their asses before any progress is achieved. So please, bear with it for now; things will ease out soon, I assure you. Once he grows comfortable and reacquainted with things, he will gradually soften and warm up to the prospect of being close to people once again, but until then, promise me you'll persevere; being as headstrong and determined is another one of those traits that makes you my student, after all."

Sakura blushed at the comment her shishou had payed her, relishing in its warmth for as long as she could; it was also _that_ time of the day again, the time where she was locked into _that_ room for endless hours, stuck preoccupying herself with anything other than _him_, whom was impossible to ignore in the first instance, seeing as she was cooped up with him in the first place. _Joy_.

Sighing, Sakura resigned herself to the fact that as soon as she was done, she would be meeting up with Ino and Hinata for a much needed girls' night out; accompanied by a sleepover of sorts, and _Kami_ did she need it. Turning to leave, a random thought popped into the rosette's mind, causing her to momentarily tense on the spot; she had just remembered something direly important...

"Shishou..." Her soprano voice flitted to Tsunade's ears, whom had settled herself and finally picked up the accumulating paperwork (overdue, mind you), only to place it back down onto the pile, hands clasping beneath her chin as she grunted for the pinkette to continue, now that she had her undivided attention; she complied, albeit hesitantly. "About _that_..." The blonde's ears perked up, eyes narrowing as she nodded awkwardly, her position only enabling her to do so much, urging her to continue.

"It seems that the physical damage was much worse than we initially thought... his... the blunt trauma it induced... it's... the damage is far worse than I imagined it would be; the force applied to it has shattered his mucus-head, the broken barrier leaving dreadful scars... I had to knock him out just to check, seeing as he was uncomfortable and in quite a large amount of pain... started to bleed whilst I checked... I didn't tell him what I was doing though... he still thinks that I... well... you know."

Tsunade nodded again, tense at this newfound discovery; so he really had been exposed to more than just the average victim—

"Er and shishou...? It seems to me that he was also forced to do... _that_... to others'... the covering... er..." The rosette flushed crimson, too embarrassed to continue; it was one thing to be checking for blunt force trauma, but to have checked to see if he had contracted any... _sexually_... transmitted diseases... it was, well, _awkward_, for lack of a better word. And to be seeing his— Sakura cut away her train of thought, not wanting a mental image of what she had been half curious half serious about seeing (damage being the main concern), shaking her head to get rid of the polluted sight that had managed to burn its mark upon her memory, before turning to face her mentor, whom was seriously contemplating something.

"So... not only was he subjected to it, but he also had to inflict it onto others', hm? What indications are there of this?" The pinkette stiffened, really not wanting to go into the details, but knowing that they were necessary and vital for his recovery.

"Urm... _penaltrauma_... _slightangulardisposition_... _bruisesandremnantfemaledischarge_... do I really have to continue?" A tight smirk made its way to Tsunade's face as she shook her head, indicating that she was free to go, and the rosette literally jumped at the opportunity; disappearing behind the oak door, the 5th Hokage turned in her swivel chair to face her village, which was once again surrounded by black clouds and rumbling thunder.

_'A sign of ill-omen...'_ The blonde thought solemnly as the lightning cracked its way through the pitch black sky, lighting it up in a silver flash before it was smothered by the darkness, never to be seen again.

_'Sort of like Sakura and Sasuke; he is the darkness that will always swallow her light whole, extinguishing it till not a trace of it remains.' _

The wind howled as the rain came crashing to the ground, drowning out all sound and washing away nothing of the pain, suffering and blood that painted their hands.

* * *

Sakura was tense. It was always like this, whenever she came; initially it had been complete apprehension that had the rosette avoiding this task for as long as humanly possible, but the man had his needs, and he wouldn't let any of the other staff near him, let alone in the room itself. Sakura supposed that she should have felt humbled that the Uchiha was allowing her in, but was yet to fully cooperate with her explorations -completely on a medical basis- which pissed her off to no ends; seriously, how stubborn can people of the male species get—?!

But again, the rosette understood all too well why he had these trust issues; after all, look at where his faith had put him. In a hospital bed, multiple critical injuries adorning his flesh, as well as the mental and obvious physical trauma of _that_... what he had been forced to endure... for what seemed to be four or so years.... and what he had _had_ to impose upon _others'_... it was _too_ _cruel_ a punishment, even for someone as cold and detached as he was; but that perhaps explained the new attitude he had adopted of recent years...

"I didn't ask for you to be here. _Fuck off_." Sasuke spat viciously, his temper flaring as he watched the woman across from him drifting off into a slumber in the love seat, totally oblivious to his malicious warning glares; he hated how relaxed she seemed to be, how content she was around him. He was a fucking _murderer_ for the love of Kami, not some sweet gentleman that offered to walk you home when it came to a particularly late hour of the night; no, he was more likely to _kill_ the person he was escorting, that was for sure.

Sakura snapped out of her stupor, only realising that she had been falling asleep... in the same room... as a mass murderer. Lord, what a fucked up thing to do. Stiffening, the pinkette jumped from her seat, sliding to her feet as she sauntered toward him, once again to check how his condition was; although he was extremely unwell, he had still managed to prop himself up against the white-washed wall, one leg folded beneath him and the other propped up with his right arm using it as an arm-rest.

The fever had spread, as far as Sakura could tell, but she'd need to get closer on order to assess the damage; that same black flame burst to life, closer to the pinkette than she would have ever liked, the pure hostility evident as the onyx fire darted toward the kunoichi, precision almost deadly accurate had Sasuke not been able to distinguish the blasted woman from the rest of them, blurry as they were; so he settled for the closest one to him. Funny how close a call that had been.

"Sasuke! Stop! I need to check your condition! It's—"

"Fuck you! I already told you, stay the fuck away from me! How hard is it to do that, hunh?!" Sasuke retorted angrily, his sharingan activated as he watched the rosette's chakra go from calm to distressed all in the expanse of a minute; he loved the way his opponents quivered in fear before he slaughtered them on the spot. This case would be no different; in fact, seeing as she was someone whom had actually been something meaningful to Sasuke at one point, the Uchiha offhandedly decided to make her end a little more... _interesting_.

"Heh... heheheh! I'm gonna make your death as sweet as it can be; I wanna hear your screams of pain as I slice through you with my chidori... hear the crackling of my amaterasu as its flames devour your essence whole... watch you writhe in futility, knowing that there isn't a fucking thing you can do to stop it—"

"SHUT UP!" Sakura screamed as the tears spilt, and before she knew what she had done, she had slammed her chakra-fuelled fist into the man's face, smashing his head up against the wall, staining the acidic white crimson. _Blood_. Panting, she drew back, Sasuke's head turned to the side as he stared blankly at the monitor across from him; shock barely registered anymore. All he felt was.... _insanity_.

"Heh... heheheh... heheheheh! Hnnhahahahahahahahahaha! That was certainly entertaining! Who would have thought that little Sakura could actually throw a decent punch! I'm impressed! Who taught you that? I'd like to personally thank them for enabling you to at least have _some_ decent ability in you! I commend them!"

Sasuke then began to clap in a sarcastic, fake enthusiasm, enraging the rosette to the point of more _permanent_ damage; instead she settled for words.

"You are such a fucking bastard Uchiha! Rot in the pits of _hell_, you monster—"

"As long as you're there with me." Sasuke muttered out darkly, managing to drip eroticism at the same time, which by any other would have sounded completely ridiculous, but from him... the tingles that went up and down her spine were beyond shameful to say the least.

Without so much as another glance, Sakura stormed out of the room, Sasuke's taunting never for a moment ceasing; the minute the door slammed, the pinkette collapsed in a heap on the cold floor, curling up in a ball as she curbed her sobs, tears streaming in never-ending waterfalls down her flushed, ivory cheeks. She had had enough; _no more_. Sasuke was officially someone she couldn't handle, and no matter how much she may have regretted it, she knew that this mission was too much for her.

Even after all that he had said and done, Sakura couldn't help but let her emotions get the better of her. _Shinobi Rule of Conduct number 25: "Never, under any circumstances, is a ninja to show emotion; it is a sign of weakness that can be used to another's advantage, and could result in more death than necessary." _

Screw the fucking rule; it was too late for that anyways. Sakura knew that deep down in her heart, no matter how indifferent and cold he may be... that she was still as in love with him as she had been seven years ago, and was falling for him all over again, like a never-ending cycle of pain, suffering and torture.

But for now... this silence... was her respite.

* * *

**a/n: End of chapter two! I have decided on a different basis that this story's chapters will indeed be shorter than my others', but rest assured that the same amount of love and dedication is put into this fic, and that it should hopefully satisfy your tastes! ^^ Well, please review and I'll get around to posting another chappie as soon as I possibly can! Arigato gozaimasu! XD**

**Ja ne!**

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***


	4. Heartache

**a/n: Chapter three, and still there is no development; I myself wonder when something will happen between these two lovable characters (which isn't the whole truth as I kinda HATE Sakura right now, but still ADORE my hubby Sasuke!! XD *squeals*) ... Oh well, we shall see where this next chapter will take us! ^.-  
Gomenasai for not updating sooner; been BEYOND busy, and life in general has become too much to bear for me at the moment... just got outta hospital from my last... **_**incident**_**... So anyways, read on, and sankyuu for continually supporting me! ^.^ **

* * *

Chapter 3

Heartache

* * *

"Sore wa nan desu ka, Sakura-chan?" Naruto's deep, husky voice rumbled loudly next to the rosette, stirring her out of her thoughts momentarily; _his_ voice was sultrier, smoother, than Naruto's, which was rough and gravelly, terse even after all these years. The contrast was startling to say the least; it was funny to think that two people so different were actually at one point best friends, _brothers_ by name yet not by blood. But the saying 'opposites attract' was more accurate in terms of their twisted relationship, barely severed bond, than anyone could have ever guessed.

They had once meant everything to one another, but that all changed when Orochimaru imprinted Sasuke with his mark, leaving with the promise for more power, a means of achieving it, and the conceited fool bought the lie, the false pretence with the direst of consequences, simply because he was too enwrapped with his power-depraved hunger that he failed to realise that he was walking straight into a hornet's nest... into the den of the snake himself. It was a lucky occurrence that Sasuke had killed the bastard when the opportunity arose, otherwise the outcome could have been _a lot_ worse, for everyone.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

"Eh? Nandayo? Oh, Naruto-kun... nani? Gomenasai!" Sakura exclaimed, an apologetic look plastered to her face as she smiled weakly at the ever-impatient blonde, whom looked startlingly serious about something.

"Er... well... ya see..." A tinge of pink painted his tanned cheeks, making his whiskers more prominent; something about what he was going to say had Sakura increasingly nervous...

"Nani, Naruto-kun?" The rosette stated placidly, curiosity getting the better of her even if she didn't like what he was about to say; the quote 'curiosity killed the cat' somehow tugged at the corners of the slightly frustrated pinkette's brain...

"Uh, well... do you think you could ask Hinata-chan out for me? I-I...! I just... _can't_! Onegai, tasukete kuremasu ka, Sakura-chan?" Naruto bowed to emphasise his plea, said baka's face a shade of bright tomato red (a sight to be relished by a certain Uchiha, whom hadn't eaten anything, period, for the past two weeks) as he shook from head to toe, signifying his nervousness with the subject matter; the pinkette sweat dropped, before letting her famous 'are you fucking retarded' look cross her breathtaking features, rolling her emerald orbs in a clearly annoyed fashion. Wasn't she the stupid one?!

It should have been clearly obvious as to the intent of this sudden meeting, seeing as he was practically forlorn and torn when he saw the blushing Hyuuga run in the opposite direction from him (apparently the timid young woman was still as uncomfortable and shy around the blonde haired knucklehead as always; some things will never change…), putting him in a somber, depressive state of mind for the rest of their outing; lunch at Ichiraku's had been _unbearable_ without his inane, pointless chatter!

Sighing inwardly, the rosette reached out and tugged on the collar of Naruto's orange (God's with the fucking orange!) and black jumpsuit, the one to which he had worn for the past six years with little to no changes to it _at all_ (seriously, this boy had some serious issues when it came to fashion, let alone wearing something _half_ decent for once!), and hauled him to his feet, so that he stood completely erect and several feet taller than her (the pinkette barely reached his shoulder, seeing as he places at about 6"2' now, whereas she sits at a petite 5"4'), a befuddled expression making its way to the future prospective Hokage's face; running a small hand through her long pink locks, Sakura contemplated as to what she could say in answer to his request.

It wasn't as if she could shoot him down, deny him the right for her unquestionable help, simply because she wasn't in the mood to deal with anything romance related—scratch that, _any_ problem, _period_, but this was _Naruto_ we were talking about; how could the rosette _not_ want to just squeal at the absolutely adorable cuteness he was successfully pulling off without a hitch? Well, she was fairing quite well, against the odds, but she was barely able to maintain that thin line of cool control that she had learned to master over the years; it was really _that_ difficult to avoid that sort of scenario, that it was…

"Ne, Sakura-chan? Are you okay?" Naruto once again found his way into the rosette's mind, tearing her from her ponderings to leave her stranded and defenseless, trying to find the right words to fill in for her absence… in a 'spiritual' sense.

"Er, yeah, just a little tired is all. Uh, y-you wanted me to help, right? Well, c-can we begin later…? I have work to get done, and you know full well how shishou gets when I'm overdue with my paperwork!" Sakura feigned an amused laugh, not for a moment bought by the blonde, but before he could press further, an ANBU member appeared from a cloud of smoke (it couldn't have been better timing!), kneeling in the traditional stance when in the presence of a higher authority (Sakura's status had been upped quite a bit since her days training as Tsunade's apprentice), bowing slightly as he addressed the pink haired kunoichi with an extremely deep, raspy voice. "Hokage-sama wishes to have an audience with you, Sakura-hime; it is about… your _mission_. That is all."

With a curt nod in Naruto's direction, the Black Ops member disappeared without a trace, the only sign of his presence at all being the slight shifting of the windless air, lifting several dead leaves from the ground at their feet; autumn was soon coming to a close, and with that bringing in winter. The confused look that adorned Naruto's features was surprisingly shared with Sakura, whom was suddenly on high-alert, emotions high-strung and tense.

_'What could have possibly happened since I last checked on him three hours ago?'_

Scratch that; being an Uchiha, any number of things could have happened. For all she knew, he could have killed the ANBU stationed outside his room's door, and made a silent, unnoticed escape; that being the most likely of scenarios, considering his background and reputation. Releasing an inaudible sigh, Sakura straightened up, before turning to completely face Naruto, whom was looking at her with eyes alight with curiosity; Tsunade had explicitly forbidden her from spilling her guts about anything and everything related to Sasuke until she thought that he was well enough (Sasuke) to actually accept the company of a soon-to-be equally stunned blonde teinousha.

It was becoming harder each day just being near Naruto knowing that their long sought-out teammate and friend was back in the village, and that the blonde had been left in his utter obliviousness to babble on about other less trivial matters, cut off of all knowledge and Sasuke-related affairs; in all honesty, it wasn't fair in the least. Sakura would feel so much more at ease if Naruto knew, so that he could share the burden of looking after the permanently damaged Uchiha relic, helping him recover, simply because Sakura knew that of anyone could help Sasuke get better, it would be Naruto; that was just how things worked nowadays— it had always been like that.

Before the Jinchuuriki host could open his mouth to speak, Sakura cut him off, straightening her clothing so that the creases and wrinkles that had formed would disperse and disappear; it had become a tendency for her to regularly check to see if her baggy clothing clung to her curves, ever since _that_ happened—  
"Naruto-kun, I have to go now, but I promise that as soon as I'm done, I'll call around to your place and we'll sort something out. Okay?"

The blonde's cerulean eyes lit up, and a huge grin practically swallowed his entire face as he engulfed Sakura in the biggest bear hug she had ever had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of, a strangled, genuine laugh exiting her throat almost instantaneously at the contact of the human-sized teddy bear; he was the epitome of kawaii, Sakura mused quietly to her Inner, whom could only nod in reply.

"A sleepover?! Really?" Naruto squealed in a strangely masculine way, managing to sound more adorable rather than just plain weird; the rosette couldn't help but laugh freely at his bubbly reaction to her claim, and although she hadn't officially stated that it would be an 'overnight' thing, it had now become one. "Yeah, sure, why not! You go and get my room ready, ne? Once I've finished on my business, I'll come straight over!"

Naruto nodded avidly, his excitement clearly evident as he glomped her one more time, pressing a soft yet firm kiss to her cheek (_his_ cheeks burning at the sudden bold movement he had made without thinking it through), before spinning on his heel and bolting down the street so fast that the rosette could have sworn that there had been a dust shaped cloud of Naruto's former body floating in mid-suspension just millimeters away from her; giggling at his childish giddiness, Sakura turned and sauntered slowly toward the Hokage Mansion, her mood instantly plummeting and darkening as she approached the bane of her very existence.

* * *

"—can't stop him!"

"—the hell is his medic?!"

"—isn't Sakura-hime responsible for—acck!"

"Kuso! Get Tsunade-sama here, pronto!"

"Ah! Sakura-hime! Hurry, it's Uchiha, he's—"

Sakura skidded to a halt outside of what could only be described as a bloody massacre; bodies littered the hall, crimson liquid splashed across the walls, bringing a sudden flourish of colour to whatever was left of the starkly chalk-coloured foundations, which lay in ruins in the form of rubble and debris, the odor it gave off thick in the densely humid air; a heavy pressure pressed down on the surroundings, a sense of dread knotting tightly in Sakura's abdomen as she looked on in horror. Friends, fellow co-workers, lay scattered on the cold white tiles of the flooring, drowning in their own blood, whatever substance was applicable; the rosette stiffened, knowing the eerie chakra all too well.

It was dark, dangerous, but most of all _deadly_, and it was slowly but surely approaching her. Sakura remained still, motionless, as she heard the faint footfalls of the very man whom managed to always make her heart race no matter what the situation, remained still even as her mind screamed for her to run, remained still even as he came to an abrupt halt no more than an inch from her stilled frame, remained still even as her heart leapt into her throat, remained still even as his fingers gently caressed her upper arm, dragging the tips down to her elbow, before bringing the wandering appendages back to the base of her throat, pushing her pink locks to the side as his hot breath fanned her right cheek, his left hand gripping her shoulder with such force that it would have long since dislodged itself had that been his intention; the pinkette held back a shudder as his smooth, deep voice rumbled in a harsh whisper that seemed too loud in the dank, lifeless hallway in the shell of her ear, "Sakura… you let your guard down; it seems you truly haven't changed since then. Ja ne."

A painful pressure was applied to the back of Sakura's neck, and before the rosette realised it, she was surrounded by darkness, a darkness that smothered her light whole and left her drowning in the blackness that was Sasuke's constant abyss.

* * *

"—How did this happen?! When?! Nandayo—"

"—hime… tried to… couldn't… is she… where…?"

"—Uchiha Sasuke has escaped, I repeat, Uchiha Sasuke has escaped! Get ANBU on this immediately; inform Hatake Kakashi of this, and have him head the main squad. I want him back in this hospital before nightfall! And _do not_ let Uzumaki Naruto catch wind of this fact; it will cause more trouble than it's worth! Dismissed!"

"Hai!"

Sakura drifted in and out of consciousness, her Inner screeching death threats that were not in the least bit worrying, but still enough to startle the rosette into consciousness; her eyes snapped open, a dull throb burning at the back of her mind, but other than that, the pinkette was relatively unharmed. Physically, that is; emotionally, she was a freaking train wreck. Her heart surely couldn't take any more of this, could it? Leaving without saying goodbye, knocking her out so that she couldn't stop him—she must have been a real nuisance in order for him to be so paranoid about escaping undetected.

Yet, why did she feel so… at peace with herself? Ah, that was it… Slowly, Sakura pushed herself up from the floor, alarming the medics that were currently attending her 'wound', stumbling forward as she made for the exit; a thundering voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"HARUNO SAKURA! Where do you think you're going in your condition?!" Tsunade was now standing, her honey-brown eyes narrowed in stern annoyance as she glared at the back of her student; Sakura stood still for a moment, before letting out a labored, heavy breath. Turning so that her head was angled over her left shoulder, the rosette smiled reassuringly, surprising the blonde Sannin significantly.

_'What could she possibly be planning—?'_

"I'm going to retrieve our lost cargo."

And with that, Sakura disappeared in a haze of cherry blossom petals, the scent overpowering that of the blood and remaining with the med-nins and Hokage for the hours into the aftermath.

* * *

Sakura panted as she flew through the trees of Konoha's forest; if there was one place that Sasuke would go to in order to escape, then the easiest route would obviously be through the Training Ground. Slamming her heels down onto the hard surface of the forest floor, the rosette decided that it would be best to take it from the treetops, narrowing down her field of vision and ultimately making her life easier; using the trunk of the closest oak, Sakura propelled herself upward, using each trunk as a lever to propel herself further up.

Once she made it a safe distance, the pinkette landed on the closest branch she could see, throwing her weight forward as she pushed further, speeding up even as she smelt the precipitation in the moist, cool air; the last official rain of autumn before winter arrived. The crisp smell of dry leaves and typically moist earth made Sakura's senses go haywire; for some reason beyond her, she had always loved that particular scent, and relished in it even as she fought to catch the renegade and quickly fading Uchiha.

His chakra was faint, signifying his great distance ahead, and had he been well and not wounded, he would have been long gone, no hopes of capturing him at all, but because that was not the case, Sakura had some hope that she could get to him on time, before ANBU did anything to permanently damage him more so than he already was; her breathing evened out, meaning that she could push herself even further so that she could make haste and stop him from leaving the village –_her_ –again. Minutes felt like hours, and soon those minutes turned into an hour, which felt more like days; the cycle continued until she finally, finally caught up with the bastard only metres ahead, whom was clutching his side as he struggled onward, sensing her sudden closeness and wanting nothing more than to put distance between them.

But Sakura wasn't about to let the man she loved leave her all over again. Putting all of the energy and stamina that she had left in her into her lower body, the rosette propelled herself forward, colliding with Sasuke's solid back and sending them toppling to the ground below, Sakura rolling so that she caught the majority of the impact, as the Uchiha was already clearly in bad shape, wrapping her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck as she slammed into the forest floor, a choked gasp of pain elicited from the kunoichi's throat as she bounced and collided once, twice, thrice, before skidding to a halt; she was pretty sure she had broken some bones, as well as punctured some major organs.

Sasuke struggled against her grip, but Sakura won out, and although she was completely drained, she still managed to roll around so that she was sitting on top of him, closer to his nether region than she would have liked; Sasuke spat angry profanities at the pinkette, lashing out at her with whatever strength he had left, before cussing loudly enough to signify that this time she was not to blame. The gash on his side had reopened (a wound that hadn't healed properly some years before, had scarred terribly, before tearing apart again), deep and unruly as the rosette reached out and placed her hands to it, the green glow of her medical chakra flowing into his weakened body; instantaneously his hands swatted hers away as he hissed at her once again, anger flashing behind his onyx eyes.

"Don't fucking touch me! I don't need your fucking help, now get the fuck off of me, you bitch!"

"No."

"I said—"

"_No_." Sakura gritted out through clenched teeth, her anger bubbling to the surface as she felt the first signs of rain soaking her ivory skin, which had lost most of its natural glow since—  
That was when it got out of control. Sasuke reminded Sakura of a tailed beast; that was the only thing she could describe him as right now. He bucked at a dangerous and painfully precise angle, hitting Sakura in a place that had been permanently rendered 'useless', sending her sprawling to the ground across from him, back colliding with a tree, a harsh, ear-splitting scream echoing in the clearing as the sound of her right femur snapping in two reverberated in her ears; the ache was dull next to what her heart was enduring.

Tears spilt over as she slid to the ground, leaning on her right arm for support as she coughed up a mouthful of blood, the red substance staining the browning grass a sickly vermillion as she barely noticed his lightning fast arrival; Sasuke had gone feral, the look in his eyes only justifying the evidence. Sakura flipped just in time to avoid the fist that was now embedded in the rock hard earth, said soil lifted and broken from the very force of it; it was nothing compared to what Sakura could do, but right now, it terrified her more than anything she had ever witnessed before in her life.

The pain in her leg tore through her, but it was forgotten nanoseconds later as she barely dodged his next attack, though this time he was playing for keeps; blue chakra formed in his clenched fists, lightning crackling like thousands of birds as his chidori flared to life, the black abysses of Sasuke's eyes overwhelmed with crimson, black tomoes quickly reforming and taking another shape unrecognisable to the rosette.

"Die!" Sasuke spat as he disappeared, only to come up behind her, the familiar chirping a dead giveaway; but before he could even make contact, another lightning based jutsu intervened, cancelling out Sasuke's attack before it even hit. A solid punch to the gut was enough to put the Uchiha in his place, said man collapsing in a heap as the blood gushed from his open wound; Sakura raised her eyes to the figure before her, only to see…

"Kaka-sensei! What are you… doing here…? How did you—?"

"I caught wind of your scent; then there was the blood, the chakra signals and your scream. Hard not to notice, if you really are a professional." Kakashi mused in faux amusement, his concern for both his students, they be former or not, plastered to his relatively calm features.

"Sakura… how's that leg? Serious?" The rosette's eyes widened in surprise, and as if on cue, the pain ripped up the side of her body, causing tears to well in her apple green eyes as she shuddered in suppressed agony; Kakashi assessed the situation, _'tsked'_, and assumed the fairly obvious. It was bad, really bad. Sighing, he knelt down to help her move, but she was already at Sasuke's side, healing the rather deep gash on his side until it was gone, no scar to indicate that it had ever been there; she had always thought of her teammates' wellbeing, no matter what condition she herself was in.

Kakashi's eyes saddened as he remembered why it was that she had lost all her light, and why it was that it was slowly returning, no matter how much grief the cause of said recovery was bringing her. Yes, he truly was something very precious to the rosette, that much was obvious; but unlike Sakura, the case was completely opposite, the feelings weren't mutual, for Sasuke.

The minute the wound had been healed, Sasuke went to lash out at her again, only to be contained by several ANBU members wearing their traditional animal masks; as Kakashi gingerly lifted Sakura into his strong, capable arms, Sasuke muttered the harshest, cruelest thing he had ever said to the pinkette in all the time she had known him.

"Dirty… you dirty… fucking whore! How dare you touch me?! How fucking dare you?! You ever come within the hospital's vicinity of me, and I'll tear out your fucking throat! Go off with your sick, delusional fangirl fantasies and jerk off behind some closed doors! Stay the fuck away from me you slut!"

Kakashi blocked Sakura's ears as he took off through the trees, never failing to observe the strangled sobs that were muffled by the neck of his ANBU uniform, and the tears that made their mark, stained his vest, with all of the pain and sorrow she had endured these past couple of months were permanently imprinted upon the silver-haired jonin for the rest of his life.

* * *

When Sakura awoke no more than an hour later, her leg was completely healed- slightly numb, but she'd deal- and she was resting against a warm body; turning to look, she saw Naruto curled up at her side, the usual clutter and mess of his room never ceasing to astound the rosette. Seriously, how could somebody live like that? Ha, well, Naruto did, so Sakura guessed that anybody could.

The pinkette couldn't remember the details, except for arriving at the hospital with Kakashi, and having her leg examined… _and_ overhearing Shizune telling Tsunade that Sasuke had been anaethetised and strapped down in the critical ward for psychiatric observation. A pang tore through Sakura's heart as she remembered in clear detail every little intricacy of what Sasuke had said to her.

"_Dirty… you dirty… fucking whore! How dare you touch me?! How fucking dare you?! You ever come within the hospital's vicinity of me, and I'll tear out your fucking throat! Go off with your sick, delusional fangirl fantasies and jerk off behind some closed doors! Stay the fuck away from me you slut!"_

The memory brought the tears faster than Sakura could stop them, and before she knew it, she was sobbing, into the warm, safe confines of Naruto's arms; how could he look so content, peaceful, at a time like this?

It _was_ Naruto, so there wasn't really any question to ask there…

As if by some cruel twist of fate, Naruto's arms tightened around the trembling rosette, the blonde nuzzling his chin into her hair as he mumbled softly under his breath "Don' worry, Saku…da-chan… I'll protect shoo…"

Sakura couldn't hold back the pained laugh as she listened to all of the detailed descriptions of how he would castrate any man that wasn't himself or Kakashi-sensei if they dared come within a billion miles of her; silly, naïve fool.

But she loved him never the less. He was the little brother that she never but wished she had, and was glad that he saw her as a sister, and not so much a 'love interest' anymore… the tears reappeared as those haunting memories she'd tried so hard to forget resurfaced, and coupled with that of the words of Sasuke, became Sakura's worst nightmare relived again and again just for her convenience.

Sasuke was right.

She was more of a whore than anyone gave her credit, and that just caused her heartache to increase a thousand fold, her wails resounding painfully inside her heart and torturing her mind into a restless, unattainable slumber, where no 'knight in shining armor' could save her from the monsters that plagued her nightmares whenever she closed her eyes.

* * *

**a/n: Chapter three's progress- COMPLETE.  
Lemme know what you guys think! Please review! I know you want some of these cookies I'm eating; the very same ones that the Akatsuki are eating to help them take over the world! XD MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! =3**

**Oh, and guys, just a quick mention; I am already partially through chapter 10, so if you want a faster update, then you know what to do! Pleeeeaaaassee review, minna!**

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***

* * *

_~Japanese definitions ~_

* * *

_Onegai= Please –the casual way to address someone, particularly someone you know well_

_Onegaishimasu= Please –the more formal approach to asking a favour of someone, particularly someone not well known to the bearer of the question- (Is also another way of saying 'please treat me kindly/look after me')_

_Sankyuu= Thank you –the formal approach to thanking another_

_Arigato/u= Thank you –the casual way of thanking another_

_Arigato/u gozaimasu= Thank you very much- one of the more polite ways of thanking another_

_Domo-arigato/u gozaimasu= thank you very much –the politest way to address another when thanking them_

_Sore wa nan desu ka= Literally means 'What is it?'_

_Nani= What_

_Nande= Can mean both 'What' and 'Why'_

_Nandayo= 'What is it' or 'What do you want' –the casual, abbreviated form of 'nande', although they carry two different meanings- used more often between close friends, the same case for 'sore wa nan desu ka'_

_Dattebayo= Believe it –this phrase actually doesn't have a literal meaning, but a loose translation to English comes off as Naruto's renowned catchphrase_

_Shannaro= Hell yeah –Again, this doesn't have a strict meaning, and translations can vary, depending on the situation; sometimes it can come off as a foul profanity, depending on how it is used or conveyed and received_

_Kuso= Damn, Shit_

_Fakku= Fuck_

_Kutabare = Fuck you! –the casual way of saying 'Fuck you!' to someone, though it is received just as badly as the politer index-form_

_Kutabacchimae= Fuck you! –Again, the politer way of saying 'Fuck you!' to someone, although there really isn't any 'polite' way of saying it; this word is generally taboo amongst the Japanese, amongst other form of profanity, and it is best advised not to repeat and or say this to one's face_

_Tasukete kuremasu ka= Can you help me- polite form, generally used by everyone_

_Dareka imasu ka=Who's/is there? –the polite form. Some generally use 'Dare imasu', as it specifies to a certain degree as to the origins of one's intention_

_Shishou= Master –similar to 'sensei', but has a distinct difference; 'sensei' is 'teacher'- the teacher of _________________ whatever- 'shishou' refers to a specific type of training, one that requires more focus and dedication_

_Taichou= Captain e.g. Yamato-taichou_

_More words shall be added to vocab list; if you have any others you'd like me to answer for future reference, then by all means PM me and I'll get back to you A.S.A.P.! That is all._


	5. Choices

**a/n: This is chapter four, as you should all be well aware of. There will be mostly Kakashi x Sakura interaction in this particular chapter, very little mention of Sasuke-kun throughout its duration. Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Choices

* * *

'_Do I… drop this mission…? Or do I… continue on with it…? Do I? Don't I? Do I? Don't I?'_

Sakura drawled on lazily in her mind as she plucked each petal from the bud of the flower, allowing the stray plant shards fall to meet the water's calming draft below; the rosette was confused as to what she should do next.

After talking to her shishou, it was confirmed that Uchiha Sasuke was well and truly on to the road of recovery, and was as snappish and hot-tempered as before, _worse_ even; did she really want to be a part of _that_ again, be the cause of his fruitless and unpredictable temper?

No, not particularly, but she dearly wanted to see him fully recovered again… but then the sane part of her mind (that logical side being her Inner) was always sending her mixed messages, impossible to decode, making it that much harder to come down to a solid decision— Argh, why was she even bothering?

The answer was obvious, wasn't it? After everything that he had forced her to endure, after all he had said and done thus far… it was enough to deter even the strongest of adversaries; he had said the harshest, most profoundly sickening and heart-wrenching things to her, had tried to kill her on various occasions over the past several months, and if that wasn't enough, the fact that he clearly didn't want her within a million miles of him made her want to curl up in a ball and die, as she had so favourably done of late—it had been over two months she had last been in vicinity of him, closely bordering three, and she was starting to get edgy.

He had already been declared 'mentally unstable', therefore pardoning him from any further allegations against him and his case, ultimately excusing his slaughtering of the former medical corps, and almost successful killing of the rosette herself, which for many reasons disturbed Sakura and her tranquil peace of mind; it was only natural that she worried about this 'situation' after all, since it directly involved her in particular. Now that he was getting the help that he needed, what was to say that he would stay?

Not that the pinkette cared if he left—again, she seemed to be contradicting her conscience. Sakura would be utterly _torn_ if he decided to take his leave, because she knew that she would have lost her chance to convince him to stay and have Naruto rest easy about the future; as the Hokage's heir, he needed to be focused on only one thing, and this would be of major significance to the hyperactive blonde knucklehead—Sasuke back in the village would surely lead to his fast succession to the throne of 'Kage', and he deserved that right more than anyone else.

Sighing, Sakura threw the now petal-less daisy into the small stream, allowing it to be carried off with the currents, her dull emerald orbs watching as the wilted stem drowned from the overexposure to too much of the wet liquid; turning, Sakura walked away from Naha Bridge, strolling aimlessly until she found herself in the training grounds, the three wooden stumps the first things her eyes noticed—the minute that she was upon them she collapsed to her knees, bringing them to her chest as she leaned back against the wooden surface of the furthest to the right, the one where coincidentally enough Sasuke had used to frequent when they were all still genin (she and Naruto were jonin, whereas Sasuke didn't count as any official rank at all, unless you included nukenin in the mixture).

With a tired exhale, the drained rosette allowed herself to think back upon when she had spoken to Tsunade, about what she was to do.

* * *

_Flashback_

_

* * *

_

"_Shishou… what do I do now?" _

_The pinkette's question caught the blonde off guard momentarily, before she regained her composure, once again clasping her hands under her chin as she contemplated carefully; Sakura shuffled anxiously, hoping for the answer and resolution that she had already drawn down to. _

_Her disappointment was fleeting. _

_"Sakura… in all honesty, I would like for you to continue on this mission, as it is vital to retaining your mental stability too! You understand Sasuke's pain, and you can start to open him up, be it only little by little, it doesn't matter! My point is that you are the __**only**__ one who can connect to him, and the only one whom can help him to move on from this point in his life; that is my verdict on the matter. But after everything that you have suffered over the past few months, you are entitled to the right to back out and allow someone else to step in; it is entirely up to you as to what choice you decide to make for yourself, but know now that you will have to live with a deep regret that may come as a price for your decision, so think carefully before you come back to me with your reply—for now I assign you three months leave, in order to fully recover and allow you time to properly think things through. I dearly hope that the decision you come to will be one that you can live with, and be proud of." _

_With that, Tsunade concluded her speech, raising her sake bottle to her lips as she greedily gulped down the powerful, strong alcoholic beverage, Sakura bowing and taking her leave._

* * *

_End of Flashback_

_

* * *

_

By this point Sakura was clutching her head, an agonizing headache setting in as she poured her medical chakra into the inner layers of her skull, numbing the pain and sending Sakura into a peaceful meditation, where not even the chirping of mischievous birds deterred her train of thought.

It had taken Sakura several hours of deep relaxation before she could finally drag herself home to her apartment, her keys rattling as she heard the lock come undone with a soft _'click!'_, her eyes drooping with unattained sleep; she was in desperate need of some pills.

Sasuke's words raged through her mind throughout the day, tormenting her as much as they could, but they were easily ignored; it was when sleep claimed her that everything that she had worked so hard for, the mental barriers, were thwarted and destroyed, leaving her vulnerable to his repetitive jibes and vindictive mockery—it haunted her very conscience, and slowly ate away at her soul, her fragile heart.

Yawning tiredly, Sakura stripped off her clothes, not bothering to shower or dress, and fell asleep, practically naked except for the lacy black panties she wore, breasts exposed to the heat of the humid night, her air-con out of commission for the time being, as it had been the only thing that she could find within proximity of her blaring temperament only days before—only now did she regret it profoundly.

Unbeknownst to the slumbering rosette, a pair of crimson eyes watched her from the very corner of the room, remaining for hours, just as he did every other night.

* * *

When Sakura awoke the next morning, it had cooled down somewhat, but she still felt the need to bathe; after all, she had skipped out the previous evening due to her exhaustion, and she felt… _dirtier_ than normal.

Stretching until she heard the satisfying _'crack!'_ in her sore muscle joints, the pinkette sauntered casually into the bathroom, putting the plug in the drain and turning on the cold tap, filling the bath almost very nearly to the brim, bath minerals and foam coating the surface as she slid in, the balmy cold of the water pleasing to the rosette's flushed skin, cooling her somewhat until she closed her eyes, drowning in the feeling of temporary bliss that enveloped her entire body.

After what seemed to be hours, Sakura finally dragged herself from the wet liquid, water rivulets dripping down her entire frame as she wrapped the fluffy white towel around her, her breasts barely shielded by the skimpy excuse for a washcloth; they must have grown recently… _again_…

Flinching at the memories that thought stirred, Sakura decided offhandedly to go and visit her sensei, whom was sure to be at his apartment, alone, doing barely anything if not nothing; she knew for a fact that because he had just recently completed a string of consecutive missions all at once, he had been given two months leave to recuperate and relax—knowing Kakashi-sensei, he was probably either in bed, reading his porno book, or both; and people say that men can't multitask!

He could probably jerk off too if he set his mind to—Sakura slammed her fist into the mirror, the reflective material shattering in sharp shards that tore into the flesh of her hands, ripping it apart until all she could see was red. Clutching her hand, Sakura stumbled out of the room, pulling out the fragmented glass and throwing it into the bin at the foot of her bed, healing her injured fist as she did so; once Sakura was sure that the damage had been mostly repaired, she then dressed, cleaning up the remaining mess, first calling several people that could both replace her mirror and fix her air-conditioner, before leaving her place, setting off toward Kakashi's.

* * *

The silver haired jonin had surprisingly enough been asleep when he heard the faint pounding of his door being repeatedly knocked on, and much to his great displeasure and disdain, he ended up stumbling blindly toward the door, praying that if he answered, the noise would cease, and he could return to his heavenly dream involving—

"Dareka imasu ka?" He gritted out with a sluggish voice, carrying the desired effect that he was and had been sleeping, and that he didn't want to be disturbed; so when he heard the voice that returned his call, he knew that he had probably just done more damage than he ever could have just snubbing her altogether.

"Er… Kaka-sensei? Were you asleep? Um, I-I'll just come back later, ne? Ja!"

"A-Aa! Ch-Chotto matte, Sakura! Hold on a sec…"

The _'click!'_ of his door's lock bolt sliding out of place, followed by several chains and other locks was what was evident to Sakura, but she knew that he was always very cautious as to who may show up on his doorstep, so she just smiled fondly at the familiar display; the rosette remembered the day that he had given them his address oh so well.

* * *

_Flashback_

_

* * *

_

"_Sensei, why the __**hell**__ do we need __**this**__?" Naruto all but yelled in annoyance, irked that he had been called to their traditional meeting place only to receive a small piece of paper with an address scribbled hastily onto it in perfect, neat kanji; Sakura just rolled her eyes, smacking him upside the head before gesturing toward her sensei to continue, to which he was thankful for. _

_Smiling warmly, he simply said, "This is my home address; not many are aware of where I live, or that I in fact exist at all, so consider yourselves privileged. I do not offer in complete strangers, nor do I accept the company of others unless you are either invited by yours truly or if the matter is of dire significance, so do not randomly turn up unless you have an explanation to back you up—so yeah, that's pretty much it! Don't lose it, 'cause I'm not giving it out again. That's all." _

_Sai held up the piece of paper like it was a gift from the Gods, a stupid grin plastered to his face as he now realised with sudden profound clarity that he had his sempai's address, which meant… the dark haired boy muttered incoherent slurrings to himself, all the while being watched by the other three companions, Naruto utterly amused by something. _

_"Ne, Kaka-sensei… maybe it wasn't the best of ideas to have given dickhead over there your real home address, seeing as he is sort of a sempai obsessed freak with a bit of a thing for you, as it appears; the next thing you know he'll be stalking you in the men's onsens." _

_Sakura giggled whilst an utterly mortified expression crossed the jonin's face; apparently he hadn't thought that far, that much was evident to say the least. _

_And the rosette couldn't help but laugh, all the while ignoring the gut-wrenching feeling she got when she remembered the look of utter serious ferociousness in his steely eyes, reflecting upon something that was soon to be unsheathed upon Sakura in all its fury, forever destroying her in the process._

* * *

_End of Flashback_

_

* * *

_

Stifling a choked sob, Sakura raised her gaze just in time to meet her sensei's, whose eyes were glowing with both concern and foreboding, like he had somehow expected her arrival even in the midst of unconsciousness; stepping to the side, he allowed Sakura into his spacious living quarters, closing the door in complete silence as he gestured for her to follow him into the kitchen, so that he could make them some tea.

Sakura complied, sitting at the table for four as he boiled the kettle, brewing the tea with many different herbs and spices, the smell tantalising to the starving rosette; she had apparently forgotten to eat that morning with all of the commotion. Whilst she waited, Kakashi darted back into the other room, only to return seconds later with a black polo shirt, apparently noticing his current state of undress, lifting the smooth material over his head, temporarily blinding him as Sakura silently drank in his appearance, his abs gorgeous along with the six pack that came with them; she silently cursed herself for ever even thinking of perving on her sensei, keyword there being _sensei_.

There was a comfortable silence as Sakura contemplated as to what she should say, whilst Kakashi patiently waited, pouring the tea into the porcelain drinking cups his mother had left him until they were full, placing a cup in front of the pinkette, the steam and lemony scent temporarily distracting the rosette as she took a tentative sip, loving the way it tingled and warmed her on its journey down her throat and into her stomach; clutching the cup between her hands, Sakura began to fidget, signaling her increasing nervousness—Kakashi apparently noted it, as he was the one to finally speak, breaking their quietude with an abrupt question.

"What is it that brings you here today, Sakura? You seem rather anxious about something… is everything alright?"

Sighing, Sakura ran a hand through her bubblegum pink locks, closing her emerald orbs as she constructed her first sentence, saying it slowly at first, her obvious discomfort and unease about the topic clearly evident to the silver haired jonin.

"Iie… I don't know what I should do… Tsunade-sama… she gave me time off to think things through… about _that day_, the incidents leading up to it… she wants me to have a decision to her by the latest tomorrow, and I still have no clue as to what I should do… So I came here, to you… hoping that you could help clear things up a little… I want to see reason and common sense, not the obvious lack of moral that I have witnessed, the distrust, none of it! You are the _only_ person that I can hold in high regard to that respect, and I know that you are capable of helping me see what I really want… so onegai! What should I do?"

Tears welled in Sakura's eyes, the obvious strain of not being able to talk to someone openly about it becoming quite a burden as she buried her face in her hands, sobbing hard as she tried to remain calm and objective; it wasn't working.

The sound of Kakashi's chair scraping against the tiling didn't help matters, but when she felt two warm hands on both of her thighs, she looked through her hands only to see Kakashi's warm and compassionate face staring back at her, eyes sparkling with a fatherly affection as he reached up and cupped her left cheek with his right hand, using his calloused thumb to wipe away the tears that had already gathered and spilt over, preventing the newer ones from coming completely; keeping his hand there, Kakashi raised the other so that he cradled her whole face in his hands, a gentle pressure the only force applied as he spoke, reassuring words that made her insides go all gooey.

"It honestly doesn't matter what my opinion is of this situation, as it isn't my responsibility to dwell upon, but had I been in your shoes, I surely would have gone back a long time ago; I know for a fact that a certain Uchiha-bastard-that-shall-not-be-named actually misses your presence quite badly, seeing as I was the one watching over him for these past few months, while you were away—there have been subtle changes in his behavior, such as his lack of hostility towards complete strangers, and his manners have improved mildly, though there is still a long way to go. But knowing him, the minute he's released, he'll go back to his pompous-assed self…"

Sakura giggled, raising her hands to grasp his as he continued.

"But the point is that no matter how hard he tries to deny it, he has slowly succumbed to your influence, and now that your light has faded from his vision, he can no longer be the complete jackass we both know he is; he needs you more than he will ever understand, and I can assure you that you will benefit from this too—you are a strong, beautiful, intelligent young woman with so much going for you, and I know that you of all people can handle, cope, with the impending strains and hardships, simply because you love this man, and you hate to see him suffer so. Because of this, you should try your best and work with what you have, and know that even though I cannot be there to support you through it, there will always be people backing you up, cheering you on and commending you for your iron-willed bravery; you have to be tougher than a rhinoceros in order for his cruel insults to simply rebound off of you. So what I think is best for you is to decide from what you now know; with this knowledge aiding you, will it help you to decide? Only time will really tell, but for now rest easy, and live in the moment—let all of the harder conquests come later."

With a relieved nod, Sakura leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her beloved sensei's neck; he squeezed back with equal force and fervency, allowing Sakura to feel safe and protected, even if this security only lasted a short while.

* * *

Sakura barged determinedly into her shishou's office, Tsunade startled by the rosette's sudden and unannounced arrival; Shizune looked on in equal bafflement, not quite sure what to expect as Sakura spoke, eyes alight with determination.

"Shishou, about the mission; I accept it, and all of its trials and tribulations."

With that said and done, Sakura stormed out of the room, Shizune's eyes wide and disbelieving whilst the blonde Hokage's were ablaze with pride.

After all, she had been forced to make the toughest of choices—yet in the end she still managed it, with a determined look in her emerald orbs.

Sakura had finally made her resolute choice.

* * *

**a/n: End of chapter 4; Choices! Hope it was slightly okay, even with the lack of my beloved Sasuke-kun! ^.- I promise he comes back next chapter! Sankyuu! Please review! =D**

**Ja! x)**

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***

* * *

_Preview of Chapter 5;_

"_W-What do you think you're doing?"  
_

_"Something I should have a long time ago."  
_

_And with that, his lips were locked with hers in a painfully bruising kiss, leaving her eyes as wide as saucers. _


	6. Revelations

**a/n: Hahahaha, okay, I lied, I'm updating early (I'm still currently working on chapter ten, seeing as my inspiration has sorta flown out the window right now!)! XD**

**a/n#2: Mwahahahahahahahahaha! Chapter 5! I am hoping that this chappie should be more informative, heheh! I wonder who it was whom was being kissed in the preview last chapter…? Read on to find out! Enjoy. ^.-**

* * *

Chapter 5

Revelations

* * *

The rosette let out a withdrawn sigh, slouching slightly as she stopped outside the door that she had been dreading to see all week; it was time to see just how 'tame' Sasuke had become over the course of the past three months—after spending six months in total in not only the village that he had defected from so long ago, but the hospital itself, Sakura wouldn't be surprised if he would become volatile and violent toward her the minute she walked in.

Swallowing hard, the pinkette slowly raised her hand, placing it to the seal that separated her from him, running an even flow of chakra through it, before it burst into flames, dispersing into nothing more than a pile of burning blue ashes landing silently to the floor as she slowly turned the vault, the lock groaning in protest as she slowly pushed the door open, mentally and physically preparing herself for the fight of her life—was she surprised when she finally entered.

* * *

Kakashi strolled casually down the bustling streets of Konoha, watching as several bystanders prepared their stalls for the evening markets, which were only held twice a month as it was; they needed to be prepared for the big night ahead, as their stores future was at stake.

The silver haired jonin, although already feeling festive and jovial, was deathly concerned about Sakura; even though he had told her what he thought would be best for her wellbeing, she seriously didn't have to take his word for it! What if things went badly, became worse than it had been before? How would Sakura come out of this? Surely affected deeply, right?

Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts, Kakashi continued down the pathway, walking straight past Ichiraku's where he could have heard (and did hear) Naruto's loud, boisterous voice echoing all the way to his apartment; Kakashi chuckled mutely, wondering how Teuchi-san managed to keep his customers whilst Naruto was there—then again, the idiotic blonde _was_ the reason his business was always thriving and doing so well.

Kakashi had the financial dent in his wallet to prove it.

Exhaling heavily, the jonin protégé vanished in a whirlpool of leaves, stirring the dead mulch until one landed idly onto the shoulder of the fore-mentioned hyperactive knuckleheaded ninja, only to seconds later fall into his fresh bowl of tonkatsu ramen, his angry yells of annoyance heard all over the village and back some.

* * *

Sakura was astonished; not only had Sasuke remained silent the whole time she was with him, _in the same room_, but he had allowed her to get _drastically_ close to him, breaching his comfort zone by a billion fold—he hated anyone whom was within touching proximity of him, and yet he didn't shy away when she became physical.

He had stiffened, the obvious signs of discomfort, but he bit back his remarks, anything in the hopes that Sakura wouldn't leave him in the hands of complete strangers; somehow he felt safer knowing that she was an old friend, and that she wouldn't hurt him the way _he_ and his cronies had. But that didn't help to ease the tension, seeing as he had other extremely conflicting battles raging on inside of him; he would be less hostile to her at times, and would treat her with some respect, but he wouldn't warm up to her, her gentle smiles and caresses, or her personality—people were all the same in the end; undeniably cruel and sadistic creatures that thrived on another's pain and deepest despairs.

That was what he had learned over the harsh years of his adolescence, and he wouldn't allow a single woman to alter his point of view on life; he had already hurt too many to be considered justifiably innocent.

Sakura's green medical chakra flowed into his entire nervous system, relaxing his body and gradually calming him into a tranquil state of mind, where she could probe around his more serious wounds; whoever had been repairing Sasuke's breastbone and Achilles tendon hadn't done a very good job, as it seemed that both were deteriorating all the more, the muscle tissue falling away rapidly without the proper treatment necessary—then again, they probably couldn't have done much, seeing as he was so resistant and dangerous to contend with; escaping with your life was the most you would get out of the merciless Uchiha monarch.

Carefully, Sakura raised his right leg up onto her lap, which was seated on the chair just in front of the bed he sat on, both tensing at the sudden movement; all the rosette wished to do was help to heal his wounds back to revitalisation, but he had other ideas.

Without warning, Sasuke snapped forward, raising his injured leg to kick Sakura in the face, only to have it blocked and held in a painfully tight grip, Sasuke hissing at the sudden pain that shot up through it—it was agonising to live with, that was for sure.

Realising that she was only making his wound worse, Sakura gently loosened her grip, lowering his leg until it met her lap once again, her eyes glowing with warmth and sincerity, something that he wished she would squash and replace with terror and fear; that would at least allow him to feel some hatred toward her—she showed anything but.

"Sasuke, I need to heal this wound; it's clearly obvious that you're in pain, and I can ease that and make it disappear, if you'll just trust me."

"And why the fuck should I do that?" Sasuke spat temperamentally, his blood boiling as he recalled upon all of the past events where he had ever 'trusted' somebody; it had all turned out to be more harsh ways of punishing him, of hurting him further—this is why he couldn't 'trust' her, or anyone for that matter; he had learned to become independent and self-reliant over the past seven years, because of everything that had happened to him, up until recently.

"Because I'm the only thing you've got and can rely on right now, Sasuke. It's as simple as that." Sakura stated calmly, emerald orbs glittering in the deep orange sunset that streamed in through the sealed off window until they were a luminescent amber, making her seem like a golden falling angel rather than your average kunoichi; grunting in annoyance, Sasuke reluctantly straightened his leg out so that it was resting on her left knee, flinching when she touched him lightly.

The raven haired man held his breath as Sakura ran her fingertips over the damaged tissue, mending the broken fibres and bone marrow with tiny pinpricks of chakra, sewing the muscle together until all of the damage was repaired; at first, all Sasuke could feel was strings of pain threading up his ligaments, but it soon numbed until his leg felt like jelly, heavy like a brick of lead—there was no pain afterwards.

Sakura then asked Sasuke to roll his ankle around in circular motions, to test his mobility and usage of the foot; he complied hesitantly, the numbness of it making it slightly more difficult to lift the repaired appendage, but he managed to either way, turning the no longer useless ankle around repetitively until he regained feeling, the heaviness long gone—Sasuke raised his onyx orbs to meet Sakura's amber ones, a pale tinge of olive green lining their depths as she smiled at him warmly, nodding carefully as he watched her with an apathetic stolidness.

After that, she slowly broached the subject of having him remove his shirt so that she could check his pneumonia, but that was where he drew the line, many profane expletives leaving his mouth in conjunction with insults that had Sakura reeling and almost very nearly in tears, but she listened intently until he had finished before she said anything.

"Onegai... Sasuke-kun... you _need_ this to be checked thoroughly, otherwise you could end up in worse condition; you have so much more to live for, so let me do what I do best!"

Sasuke just glared at her, before turning away to look out the window, signalling the end of their session; Sakura quietly dismissed herself, closing the door behind herself as she slid to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest as she stared blankly at the floor—the bright side of things was the fact that he had allowed her to become slightly closer to him, without too much resistance.

That in itself was enough for her to prevent any tears from falling and instead let a small smile light up her features, her heart thumping wildly as she realised that what Kakashi had said was true; Sasuke had trusted her, and allowed her into his world, if only a little, therefore saying all that needed to be said—he really _did_ need her.

That was the undeniable truth.

* * *

Kakashi stood in front of the headstone upon which his best friend's name was engraved, eyes sad and sombre as he gazed at the stone longingly, as if that would bring Obito back from the eternal slumber he now resided in—he already knew that this was never to be a dream fulfilled, realised, but he couldn't help but hope... that, and pretend that what he had caused in the past had never occurred; that his sensei was still here with him and his child, that Obito and Rin were still by his side, that his father wasn't dead.

Everything was a fucked up mess that he couldn't untangle himself from—he was lost in the frays, too deeply entangled in his web of confusion that nothing seemed to make any sense anymore; he was drifting, hanging by a thin thread that would capsize at any given moment if he were to let his guard down for even the merest of nanoseconds. He was constantly on edge, and it would always be the case, seeing as he had made many dangerous and lethal enemies over the years; but the only reason that he continued living was so that he could correct the mistakes of his past by re-enforcing them in his everyday life, most of all to protect his precious people—Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura.

Sighing, the silver haired jonin turned to leave when he felt the presence of another, drastically familiar chakra signal wavering in the distance not too far from where he now stood; narrowing his eyes to slits, Kakashi's head snapped up in time to see a careless kick thrown in his direction from the air above his head, sharp precision written in the shinobi's attack, but no real technique—Kakashi merely caught their leg in his famous iron grip, before sending the offender toward a far-off tree, snapping the trunk in half as the ninja made contact, a shrill, _feminine_ cry leaving their lips as they collided with enough force to have broken nearly all of their back bones.

_'Matte... a **woman**..?'_

Kakashi sprinted over to where the woman lay, crumpled to the ground as blood slowly pooled around her small frame, her long, dark brown hair obscuring her face from view; said man kneeled down and scooped her up into his strong arms, biceps flexing as he tried to control the amount of crushing force he applied to her very broken bones.

Just as he was about to take off to the hospital, the woman spoke, obvious nostalgia in her tone as she choked back her sobs.

"You really haven't changed at all after all these years, ne... _Kakashi-kun_?"

There wasn't any way that... this just couldn't have been... could it?

Kakashi gently brushed the young woman's hair out of her face, only to be graced with the sight of large, warm brown eyes, and two prominent purple triangles on each pale cheek, a smile curving at the corners of her mouth as she let a tear leak out from her left eye, falling to meet the grassy earth below; many emotions stirred within Kakashi, so the only thing he managed to rasp out was a shocked, "R...in...?"

* * *

Sakura soaked in a warm bath, relishing in the fact that her air-conditioner had been repaired earlier on in the day, along with her bathroom mirror; it was about time too—for the past several days, she had been interchanging between staying at Naruto's, then Kaka-sensei's place.

It had been hard getting anything done, seeing as at that point in time she had been practically living with two very _masculine_, _real_ males, not the gentlemanly kind that would leave the house whilst you took a simple shower; Naruto had literally _barged_ in whilst she had been just about to step out of her long, hot shower, complaining that he needed to piss—his mannerisms and vulgarity hadn't changed much over the past few years, that was for sure.

Of course, she made him pay dearly for his actions... using brute force and several very real death threats that had been close to being carried out had Kakashi not intervened and said that his place was free if she wanted to stay there whilst he attended a quick meeting with the Hokage; the lucky son of a—

"Ne, billboard-brow! Hurry it up! There is a romantic movie out here that Hina-chan and Ten-chan wanna watch, and we need to get the steamy sex scenes already! Move ya ass already!"

Ino shouted impertinently, not realising the negative impact her specific choice of words had on the pinkette; Sakura's eyes widened as a memory flashed behind her eyes, bringing tears faster than she could prevent them.

* * *

_Flashback_

_

* * *

_

"_Iie! Stop! Get the fuck off of me, you sick fucker!"  
_

_"Stop... tch... squirming you little whore!"  
_

_'__**SLAP!**__'  
_

_"Stop it!"  
_

_"Oh suck it up already! I can tell you want this; you wouldn't be as wet as you are if you didn't!"  
_

_"__**STOP**__!"  
_

_"Then tell me what I want to know!"  
_

_"Fuck you, I don't know you bastard!"  
_

_"Then I'll just have to make you remember!"  
_

_"IIE!"_

* * *

_End of Flashback_

_

* * *

_

Sakura sobbed quietly as she scrambled out of the bathtub, searching blindly for her razor blade; she had to stop the memories, the _pain_, from resurfacing before it was too late.

With shaking hands, Sakura knocked over all of her vanity items just to find what she was seeking, and when she finally found it, she had already broken several glass jars; thankfully Ino had the movie they were watching up indecently loud, the loud moans all Sakura needed to hear to know that the couple in the movie were having sex—what the fuck was up with hentai anyways?

It was disgusting and immoral, and yet so many found it a popular means of wasting time and an easier way to get it up and jerk off; why couldn't people just do things the old fashioned way anymore?

Oh right, they were in the modern day world now.

Her hand shook violently as she raised the blade to her left wrist, making deep lacerations with the sharpened point, blood spilling forth and running in rivulets down her pale arms as she dragged the razor in long horizontal lines up to the very base of her lower arm, where the bend meets the upper section, stopping just before she tore open a vital blood vessel; she had already reopened several old purplish scars from cutting herself, and when they re-healed, they always came out in new forms, a different mutilation every time—she had never been a supporter of self-inflicted harm, but it had become an addictive means of releasing her sorrow and despair nowadays, and right now, the physical pain was exquisite (a/n: no, she is not a masochist; I happen to understand what this is all about, seeing as I am one whom regularly practises this exercise), helping her to drown out the surrounding noise, everything going blank; it was just her, the sound of her blood leaving her system, and the blade in her hand.

Nothing else infiltrated her thoughts; she was simply... at peace with herself.

After several minutes of just sitting there on the cold tiling of the floor, stark naked, Sakura picked herself up, washing her arm in the remaining bathwater as she bandaged her whole arm, leaving it to heal by natural means (it is her way of punishing herself for always being so weak), pulling on a fresh set of clothing as she finished cleaning up the bathroom, exiting and picking up her handbag, intending to go for a brisk walk in the hopes that the movie would be finished by the time she returned; the girls said nothing, just smiled and told her to be careful, before turning back to the television in Sakura's apartment living room, Hinata burying her face in the cushion as she waited for the smut scene to be over—had Sakura not needed to escape by herself, she would have offered to let Hinata tag along without a second thought.

Her virgin mind didn't need to see any of the revolting things that movie was putting on for show; it would surely scar her for the better half of her life. The cold wind hit Sakura like a bombardment of kunai knives, the chilly air signalling winter's freezing embrace; all the rosette wanted to do was curl up in a ball and die.

Sighing, the puff of her breath resembling that of a cloud, Sakura did the only thing she could in a situation such as this—she went to see Kakashi.

* * *

The awkward silence that had set in was tense, uncomfortable; Kakashi didn't know where to begin, and Rin obviously had no intention of speaking first, so they just played the waiting game, hoping that one of the two would speak—and eventually, the brunette caved, and whispered in a tight, hoarse voice, "I've missed you, Kakashi-kun."

Said man didn't reply, but just sat in the chair across from where she lay in his bed, still recovering after his rash display of hostile violence; Rin couldn't blame him though—she had provoked the response.

Exhaling softly, she started, albeit hesitantly, explaining what had happened fifteen years earlier, on the ridge they were supposed to be defending.

"There were too many enemy shinobi, but none of them were interested in me in general; they were after you, because of the legends that had been circulating in those lands for months at the time—I refused to give away your location, so I faked my death along with those ninja in the hopes that if I had exterminated them and had you think that I had died without regrets, then you could have moved on with your life.

I was wrong, and I cannot tell you how profoundly sorry I am that all of this happened; the leader of that coup de tat survived the jutsu I used, and escaped before I could kill him, and had he actually seen me, he would have known that I was alive and used me as an anchor to lure you to their hideout, so you can see why I couldn't expose myself at the time—I had planned on killing them off and coming back with you, but it was far too risky for me to be seen, so I went into hiding, waiting for an opportunity to arise where I could kill him and return home.

But that chance didn't come for fifteen years, and it's ironic that it was you who managed to kill him just the other week, when you were deployed on that A-rank mission Tsunade-sama sent you on; I was finally allowed to return to my home, and as I happened to be visiting Obito's gravesite, _you_ were also someone I crossed paths with—I only attacked to assess your technique, to see if I wasn't imagining things, and that you were _really_ there before me, not some delusional fantasy playing tricks on me. _And it was you_! I couldn't _believe_ it! You've grown up into such a handsome man since then; although you really _do_ need to let your face out from that mask and air it out for a bit!"

Rin laughed crisply, tears gathering in her eyes as she clamped her eyes shut to stop them from falling, all the while Kakashi sitting there in stunned silence, gazing somewhat longingly at her lips; that's when it occurred to him. Without any warning, he darted forward, Rin's left wrist in his hold as he cupped her cheek with his free hand, mask long since discarded, leaving his handsome face exposed to the brunette, whom blushed at both the close proximity _and_ her stupid assumption; he wasn't handsome, he was freaking _gorgeous_!

"W-What do you think you're doing?"

"Something I should have a _long_ time ago."

And with that, his lips were locked with hers in a painfully bruising kiss, leaving her eyes as wide as saucers.

And at that moment, Kakashi's door swung open, Sakura literally gaping at the sight before her; Kakashi instantaneously pushed himself away from the shell-shocked brunette, whom turned an even darker shade of cherry red as she saw the rosette standing there, at a complete loss for words—now _that_ was a sight not everyone saw.

"Er… is this a bad time?" Sakura asked stupidly, taking turns to look at both parties, before raising a sheepish brow, pink painting her cheeks; many revelations had been discovered in the expanse of a single day, which was indefinitely the case for Kakashi.

_Fuck_. Now he had to explain. _Joy_.

* * *

**a/n: End of Chapter 5: Revelations! More Sasu x Saku fluff/moments to come, though you can **_**hardly**_** call them either… heheh! Please review!**

**Ja! x)**

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***

* * *

_Preview of Chapter 6;_

"_What the fuck is this?" As if to prove his point, Sasuke tore the bandages away from the terrified rosette's arm, only to reveal the fresh blemishes that adorned it; Sakura had never expected him to be so __**hostile**__ about a little thing such as this.  
__  
"Why the fuck do __**you**__ care? It isn't __**that**__ big a deal anyways, so stay out of it!"  
__  
"__**Not a big deal**__? Are you fucking __**retarded**__? You're fucking __**cutting yourself**__ to __**ribbons**__!"  
__  
"And what exactly is your __**point**__?"  
__  
"__**That**__ won't get you anywhere, Sakura, and you __**damn **__**well**__ know it!"  
__  
"And how would __**you**__ know __**that**__?"  
__  
"Simple; I've got the __**scars**__ to __**prove **__**it**__!" _

_And with that he ripped off his t-shirt, the sight that Sakura was blessed with only drawing forth horrified screams from her lips._


	7. Disfigurement

**a/n: FUCK, IT'S BEEN FOREVER SINCE I LAST UPDATED! DDX**

**GOMENESAI MINNA! TT^TT**

**Here's chapter 6! **

**I hope that you guys were anxious to read it! **

**I tried my best to convey high levels of angst and suspense, as well as some slight offhanded humour! **

**Enjoy. =D**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 6

Disfigurement

* * *

"Aa, so that's basically what you saw, Sakura; nothing more."

Kakashi stated bluntly, slightly embarrassed that he had been caught by one of his own students; thank the Lord that he hadn't decided to go any further than what he had already started with!

Sakura giggled as she watched Rin bury her face in Kakashi's shoulder, beet red from head to toe as she scolded him and cursed his masculinity for whatever life he had left in him, which was surely quite a lot; Kakashi chuckled lightly, rubbing his hand in a comforting manner on the top of the flushed brunette's, only bringing more colouration to the poor woman's face.

Sakura decided to interject before she literally fainted from the gentle ministrations and careful means of comfort coming from the man that she quite obviously was in love with.

"Kaka-sensei, I think you should stop before Rin-san passes out! I don't think that she can handle any more blood gathering into her head!"

With that she burst into a fit of laughter, Kakashi, and funnily enough even said woman joining in seconds after, lightening the dry, tense atmosphere considerably; after a few moments of collecting themselves, Kakashi became deadly serious, asking the question that Sakura had tried to delay for as long as possible.

"Sakura, sore wa nan desu ka? What is it that brings you here this evening? Weren't you having a 'girls-night-in' or something?"

"People nowadays call them 'slumber parties' or 'sleepovers'; that was just a testament to how old you really are, sensei!"

Sakura giggled once again, Kakashi not in the least bit amused; Sakura then realised that he knew what she had done.

After all, he wasn't the number one tracker nin in Konoha for nothing, especially when it came to sniffing out scents; he could smell the blood.

Without exchanging a single word, the silver haired jonin reached out and took her left arm gingerly in his, carefully rolling up her sleeve until he saw the familiar white gauze wraps that had so frequently befriended Sakura on various other occasions after _that_ incident occurred; removing the clips that held the bandages in place, Kakashi then proceeded in unwrapping them, until the bloodied material was discarded to the side, her newest lacerations standing out terribly in contrast to her ivory skin tone.

The silver haired man's eyes darkened and narrowed as he surveyed the damage, noting that tragically enough these fresh wounds would be soon joining her hundreds of others as the scars that permanently blemished her value, forever remaining a part of the painful past that she had tried so desperately hard to leave behind; Rin gasped in utter horror at the sight, reaching out to try and attempt to heal some of the damage done before it was too late—Sakura just snatched her arm back, clutching it to her chest with so much force that it began to bleed again, Kakashi growling at her as he yanked it forward, Rin doing her best to heal the wounds whilst Sakura thrashed wildly, her anger rising before she finally managed to break away, the only thing healed being the blood-loss she had started to lose all over again.

Panting, Sakura backed away into a corner, sliding to the flooring and rocking back and forth as her frame was plagued with sobs, the rosette clasping her head in a painful headlock as she glared holes into the ground; Kakashi darted over, kneeling carefully affront her so that he could gently pry her hands away, pulling her into his arms as she began to cry, her tears soaking through his thin polo shirt until it began to stick to his chest.

He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the other room, where his bedroom was upstairs, placing her under the covers as he grabbed another roll of gauze bandages, daintily covering her arm once again so that the vicious welts couldn't be seen; Rin watched quietly from the doorway, not wanting to intrude upon the two, before turning and walking down the stairs, only to start boiling the kettle to make three cups of hot lemon tea.

Sakura was restless, so much so that it resulted in Kakashi discarding his shirt, left in only his long cargo pants, and climbing in alongside her, arms holding her close as she buried her face into his throat, more tears sliding off of his marred skin as she sobbed, remembering the movie's awful but very real sound effects.

Quietly, Kakashi asked, "Was it Sasuke?"

Sakura shook her head, before stuttering over her explanation, Kakashi tensing at the mention of the 'film' that her friends had been watching; he couldn't be angry at them for watching it, as it was something that most teenagers of that age were curious about, and also because they still lived in obliviousness to Sakura's past inflictions, only cementing their case further—so no, he wasn't obliged to take his bubbling anger out on them.

They just didn't know.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, the silver haired jonin sighed, before looking up to see Rin standing in the doorway, a tray that had several cups of tea on it, as well as the odd chocolate (how she managed to find anything _relatively_ sweet in his kitchen, he didn't know), in hand, a sad smile plastered to her lips as she finally realised why this girl had such a sorrowful look in her emerald orbs; shaking the thought from her head, the brunette sauntered forward, placing the tray onto the bedside table, lifting the first cup and sweet into her grasp before handing it to the trembling rosette, who offered her her word of thanks and a rushed smile, before sipping the beverage carefully, not wishing to scald her throat—the next went to Kakashi, whom nodded in curt appreciation, drinking his tea as Rin sat on the edge of the bed, clasping her cup gingerly in her hands as she stared at her bare feet, lost for any logical words of comfort or solace.

And let's face it; there would _never_ be any words that could make what Sakura was going through any easier—she would just have to live everyday one step at a time, until she gradually started to move on. But until then, she was going to need a hell of a lot of support, from the few people that actually knew of her 'situation'—Kakashi knew for a fact that Naruto would be utterly _mortified_ when he found out that she'd been cutting herself again.

The silence stretched for far longer than any of them would have liked, so much so that Sakura had managed to drift off into a deep sleep, leaving Kakashi to call her friends and tell her that she had fallen asleep whilst dropping by, and that she wouldn't be home for the evening, to which the response was "Would you like us to come and collect her?", to which he politely refused, saying that it would be for the best that she stayed with him as it was going to start snowing at any imminent moment; of course they hadn't believed him... until he told them to look out the window, where flecks of white painted the sky—many squeals of excitement were heard before they rudely hung up, leaving Kakashi with dial tone.

_'Sheesh, women!'_

"Kakashi-kun?"

Said man turned only to see Rin, wearing a borrowed shirt of his that was far too large for her petite build, looking worried and slightly... _jealous_?

"Er... will Sakura-san be alright?"

Kakashi nodded sternly, before smirking behind his mask, a devious glint shining in his eyes as he stepped toward the perplexed brunette, who naturally backed away, starting to freak out at his sudden change in attitude.

"N-Nandayo?"

"Heh, you wouldn't happen to be _jealous_ of Sakura, now would you, _R-i-n_?"

She blushed at the accusation, before denying it avidly, Kakashi's smug smirk only growing in size as he stepped forward again, now pressing their bodies flush against one another, the wall becoming a rather annoying impediment to Rin's escape.

"I... uh... well... it... I... wah.. I... hmm... _alright already_! _I'm __**jealous**_! I mean she's gorgeous, smart, obviously well-trained, _sexy_; _I've_ got _nothing_ on _that_!"

The brunette cried in defeat, her ego deflating as she recalled upon the beauty that was Sakura; rolling his eyes, Kakashi pressed a soft kiss through the fabric of his mask to her forehead, before resting his chin on her head, bending over quite some because she was so short in stature next to him, relaxing his frame as he muttered thickly, "Sakura is merely one of my students, nothing more, unless you count for her being the daughter that I never really had; I worry for her, I dearly love her, but not in the way that you assume."

Sighing with relief, Rin looked up, only to see Kakashi mask-less and leaning down, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips before smirking, eyes ablaze with amusement.

"You, on the other hand, are in no way 'related' to me, and since that is the case, I presume that it is okay for a relationship of _another_ nature to blossom, hm?"

All Rin did was blush in reply, snaking her arms around his neck and standing on her toes before locking lips with his, smiling throughout it all; as long as she had Kakashi, it didn't matter what happened from then on.

* * *

Sakura had left earlier in the morning, Kakashi asleep alongside her whilst Rin had taken the guest room, leaving the two in peace; it was the least she could do, seeing as she had interrupted on their little 'make out' session the night before— smiling at the memory, the rosette stopped in at Ichiraku's, greeting Ayame and Teuchi as they took her order, and seeing as it was so early and they had only just opened up shop, she got a discount for being their first customer of the day, meaning that she got a free ramen to eat after her first, which was a simple tonkatsu based, Naruto's favourite—even _they_ found it a little odd that Sakura was the _first_ customer rather than noisy boisterous Naruto, or in fact eating there _at all_ considering the fact that she went every other day of the week when Naruto asked her to join him.

Must have become a new habit that had rubbed off of Naruto...

"Itadakimasu!"

Sakura exclaimed quietly, before snapping her chopsticks in half and digging into the extremely unhealthy but delicious noodle bowl; it was when she had made it halfway through her second bowl that Naruto walked in, yabbering loudly to Sai, whom seemed to be listening intently, but was probably zoning out and calling him many unmentionable names; 'dickless' was the least of his problems when it came down to Sai and his imagination.

It seemed like eons before the blonde _actually_ took notice of Sakura's presence, and when he did, he literally doubled back, mouth flapping like a gapping fish out of water—_never_ had _anyone_ beaten him to Ichiraku's, nor would he ever expect the pinkette, seeing as she wasn't really all that fond of ramen to begin with.

"S-S-Sakura-chan? What are you doing here? I-I-It just isn't possible! You _hate_ ramen!"

Sakura chuckled dryly, rolling her eyes as she turned her attention back to the bowl in front of her, mindlessly gesturing at the seat next to her, to which Naruto took almost immediately, eyes wide and face utterly gobsmacked at the prospect of the rosette sitting here, like it were a normal occurrence (which it kind of was, except she normally didn't eat), eating his beloved tonkatsu ramen; it just wasn't feasible!

Sai took the seat alongside the shell-shocked blonde, coal eyes darting from one of his friends to the other, trying to figure out what exactly it was that had Naruto so... perplexed?

Sai couldn't even recognise what emotion was playing on the blonde's face as to whatever it was he was so baffled about! Now he was extremely confused! Was this like the situation described in his latest book, _'The Art Of Recognising Emotions (T.A.O.R.E)'_, where the woman had turned up at the man's favourite place, almost as if she were claiming his territory?

Was that it?

Or was she just pregnant?

Either that or she was getting _extremely_ fat...

"_I dare you to say that to my face, __**Sai**_."

Sakura spat angrily, glaring holes into the now oblivious artist, whom had lost track of whatever it was he had been so avidly trying to figure out beforehand.

The sounds of bones crunching and snapping could be heard in the furthest crevices of the Fire Country.

* * *

Sakura had arrived at the hospital an hour early, so she spent time taking a long, cold shower, easing the throbbing pain in her whole lower arm, as she scrubbed her hair thoroughly, washing out all of the accumulating grime; it was the time of year that she set up the kotatsu— winter had finally arrived upon the Leaf Village.

The pain had finally eased to a dull throb, which would only worsen if exposed to unnaturally hot substances, constrictive restraints or the odd knock about; she wouldn't let it happen though—if anyone found out about her little 'escapades' with the blade, she would not only be marked as a nutcase, but she would also have her position as head med-nin and Konoha shinobi stripped away from her; she would never be allowed to be a kunoichi again.

Why, if people were allowed to kill themselves with their weapons, was it such a felony to bring the weapon upon oneself in moments of pure desperation?

When your intentions are not that of 'suicide', just that of 'relieving one's inner turmoil'? Why was it so wrong when they as ninjas killed random strangers every day of their lives? There really was no answer to that question—Sakura doubted that anyone, no matter of what intelligence, could give a suitable reason for it.

Exhaling tiredly, Sakura turned the water faucet off, before stepping out and grabbing the closest towel; once she had dried herself, bandaged her 'wounds' meticulously and had them hidden behind long sleeves, she left the shower room, tying up her loose pink threads as she sauntered slowly down the halls, hand raised behind her head in a similar stance to that of Naruto, except she managed to pull it off with more grace; he just looked like a freakin' goofball idiot!

With her hair tied in a loose ponytail, Sakura then proceeded toward Tsunade's office, only to find Kakashi standing there, eyes solemn and guilt-infested as the blonde's harsh words of reprimand deflated instantly when she saw the rosette standing in the doorway, emerald eyes wide and terrified; if Tsunade had been _this_ angry with Kaka-sensei, then she could only _imagine_ how Tsunade was going to react towards her—

"Sakura, is it true that Kakashi had a woman staying at his place last night?"

Sakura could only look on dumbstruck as she watched her shishou turn back to face the silver haired jonin, barking harsh threats of immediate castration if he had engaged himself in intercourse whilst in the presence of a 'minor'; come _on_, get real!

Sakura was _nineteen_ years old, she could handle herself—matte, scratch that; what she had inflicted upon herself was enough said to say it all for her mental imbalance. Sweat-dropping, Sakura quickly left her mission status report on the desk with Shizune, smiling weakly at the dark haired woman as she politely excused herself, closing the mahogany barricade quietly as her master's voice thundered behind the door; the pinkette could have _sworn_ that she heard the windows smashing from the blunt force of it!

Or maybe that was just her punching it in... or throwing her newest chair through it... or—Sakura stopped idly in front of the door she had come to know so well, before letting the seal come undone, sliding the bolted lock and slipping in to the darkened room, Sasuke's figure stilled with what appeared to be sleep; smiling fondly, the pinkette slowly, carefully closed the steel barrier, as if to not deprive him of his right to sleep, before tip-toeing to her traditional seat in the corner, resting comfortably as she watched him breathe in deep, steady breaths—that alone signalled the deepness of his slumber.

It must have been several long months, possibly long before he had come to the village, since he had last slept for more than an hour at a time; that made Sakura feel a bottomless pit of guilt—guilt for assuming that she was the unluckiest of the barrel.

When compared to Sasuke, she had _nothing_ on him, in terms of their ninja capabilities _and_ their inner chaos; that was how it was always to be, and somehow that just made Sakura's heart bleed for the renegade, stoic, apathetic Uchiha relic.

"You _do_ realise that I am _awake_ as of now, don't you, Sakura?"

Sasuke stated blandly, very little iciness in his tone, which suggested the true extent of her words; he was utterly _drained_.

Still, she hadn't sensed his alertness, which either meant that he was really good at cloaking his chakra flows, manipulating them, or she was just the idiot with no real insight.

"Heh, I'd say _both_."

Sasuke sneered smugly, chuckling brokenly in a slightly half-assed way, the rest utterly psychotic as he listened in on her inner debate, a vein bursting on her forehead as she got to her feet, and none too conspicuously charged forward, with the sole intention of strangling him for the insult; again, Sakura would have to learn where to draw the line.

Sasuke stiffened, sensing her sudden approach before swinging into battle mode, using his healed leg to lunge out with, only just missing her head; ducking down low, Sakura got into her fighting stance, only to be stopped midway—Sasuke collapsed on the bed, breathing strained and laboured as he gasped for air, lungs eventually set to implode if he didn't get any oxygen running through his system soon. Sakura immediately turned professional, leaning forward and taking his temp, before feeling his glands to check for any signs of an allergic reaction; there were none, so the rosette easily narrowed it down to one source.

_'__The pneumonia! Fuck, I __**knew**__ that this would happen!'_

"Sasuke-kun, I need to take off your shirt; it's the _only_ way to get your breathing back to normal!"

"Fuck you!"

Sasuke rasped out angrily, sounding more like a drowning dog than anything else; Sakura smacked herself in the forehead with her right hand, before finally summoning her courage to do the unthinkable—leaning forward, she tugged at the parting of his white haori, many bandages littering his upper torso, surprising the rosette; since when did he have another wound that she hadn't been notified of, or noticed for herself—?

"I said _fuck off_!"

Sasuke spat with more emphasis, venom lacing his tone as he grabbed her left wrist violently, a knowing spasm of pain tearing through her system as she cried out, tears lining her eyelashes and on the verge of spilling over—cutting herself when she knew full well that Sasuke had violent tendencies was indeed a foolish thing to do.

Stumbling backwards, the pinkette collapsed in a heap on the floor, clutching her arm tenderly to her chest as she stared at it, already knowing that it was once again bleeding; the stain that made its way to her sleeve's material only spoke for that all the more.

Not really noticing anything else, Sakura allowed herself to use _some_ medical chakra to numb the pain, _not_ to heal it, but to make the agony leave her whilst she was in the same room as Sasuke; whilst she did this, said man quietly got to his feet, managing to somehow get his frenzied breathing under control as he towered above her petite form, a dangerous scowl plastered to his features as he knelt down in front of her, making sure to maintain his distance as his hand snapped out, very gently (_very_ being the keyword) cradling her arm and pushing up her sleeve as his voice became stern, filled with obvious, and very real, contained rage—what he said startled the rosette completely.

"What the fuck is this?"

As if to prove his point, Sasuke tore the bandages away from the terrified rosette's arm, only to reveal the fresh blemishes that adorned it; Sakura had never expected him to be so _hostile_ about a little thing such as this.

"Why the fuck do _you_ care? It isn't _that_ big a deal anyways, so stay out of it!"

"_Not a big deal_? Are you fucking _retarded_? You're fucking _cutting yourself_ to _ribbons_!"

"And what exactly is your _point_?"

"_That_ won't get you anywhere, Sakura, and you _damn well_ know it!"

"And how would _you_ know _that_?"

"Simple; I've got the _scars_ to _prove it_!"

And with that he ripped off his t-shirt, the sight that Sakura was blessed with only drawing forth horrified screams from her lips.

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**a/n: Muahahaha, end of Chapter 6: Disfigurement! **

**I have come to **_**lurve**_** cliffies with a passion! XD **

**They are my new best friend as of now, heheh! I hope you're all pumped for the next part, ne! ^.- **

**Please review! **

**Until then! **

**Ja! x)**

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***

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_Preview of Chapter 7;_

"_It isn't necessarily all about outside aesthetics, you know; what truly matters is what is on the inside." _

_As if to elaborate her point, she placed a warm, loving hand to his chest where his heart resided, beating at a slow, peaceful rhythm. _

_"See? You're just as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside; you've just gotta learn to let other people see it."_


End file.
